5 replies to this topic

[ccochran]

Hello, chaps:

Okay, I promised myself I wouldn't bother you folks with strange articles again, but I couldn't resist. Here is my attempt to tie Shakespeare's Hamlet to leadership principles. Similar to the Macbeth article, but with slightly less blood and gore. Let me know what you think. You don't have to be familiar with the Hamlet plot to follow the article.

Warm regards,
Craig

Attached Files

•  Leadership_and_Hamlet___Cochran.doc   68KB   136 downloads

[Simon]

Thanks for the brain-food Craig.

IMHO there's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest Hamlet was indeed a little bit bonkers; unfortunately we'll never know for sure. It's a truly great story of the struggle between two opposing forces: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father's murder.

Deconstructing the classics in a management context is a great idea Craig; have you got any more in the pipeline?

Maybe Hamlet could have picked up a thing or two from Bob Parsons…I certainly did.

16 rules for living (and entrepreneuring): from www.bobparsons.com

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much
happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear
people say, But I'm concerned about security. My response to that
is simple: Security is for cadavers.

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted.
Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't
mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way
you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and
you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an
old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.
It goes like this: The temptation to quit will be greatest just
before you are about to succeed.

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing
that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst
thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere
near as bad as a cloud of undefined consequences. My father would
tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying
to get Parsons Technology going, Well, Robert, if it doesn't work,
they can't eat you.

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, As
you think, so shall you be.

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation
is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future,
and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one
day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving.
Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your
organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each
and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of
Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what the Union Civil War general,
Tecumseh Sherman said: A good plan violently executed today is far
and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything
that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to
uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look
closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee
you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what
you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that
everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if
you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws
and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're
doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own
breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you,
is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your
own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka,
the co-founder of SONY, said it best: You never succeed in
technology, business, or anything by following the others. There's
also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes
like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least
half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control
as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really
lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with
my little brother. He always reminds me: We're not here for a long
time; we're here for a good time.

[ccochran]

Simon,

The Bob Parons list is excellent. I think Hamlet actually embodied a couple of these, especially the last two. He seemed to have number one pretty well sewed up, too. The rest I believe he was missing. It's interesting to note that most of these items in Parson's list focus on incremental, steady action. Just do something. Which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932:

"The country needs, and, unless I mistake, the country demands, bold persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."

Take action, young man...

Cheers!
Craig

[Simon]

Take action, young man...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I will, I will! I guess Nike's tagline says it best.

Hamlet would have been wise to heed Bob's point #8; granted it would have been a short play.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what the Union Civil War general,
Tecumseh Sherman said: A good plan violently executed today is far
and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

Regards,
Simon

[ccochran]

Hello, all:

Well, the Hamlet piece finally got published. It appears in this month's (July 2005) Quality Digest: http://www.qualitydi...1_article.shtml
Thanks for the feedback on it, especially Simon's encouragement.

Craig

[Simon]

Hello, all:

Well, the Hamlet piece finally got published. It appears in this month's (July 2005) Quality Digest: http://www.qualitydi...1_article.shtml
Thanks for the feedback on it, especially Simon's encouragement.

Craig

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Excellent Craig!

QD certainly do a fantastic job with the imagery; are they going to publish Leadership and Macbeth?

Let me know if and when I can put them on the site.

Regards,
Simon