William Shakespeare’s King Lear and William Sandy’s Leadership Selection Criteria

Key learning from King Lear: If you can get past the point that leaders were not “selected” during Shakespeare’s time, but arose to power through hereditary succession, King Lear is a story about leadership selection and the tragic consequences of selecting the wrong leader. To drive this point home, Shakespeare develops a distinct double plot: The fates of King Lear, a mythical pre-Christian king of Britain, and his daughters (Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia) are paralleled by the fates of the Earl of Gloucester and his sons (Edgar and Edmund). Both Lear and Gloucester suffer from “filial ingratitude” and a fatal lack of insight, resulting in deceptive reports; false optimism; hasty judgments; rumors; and mistakes in communication, decision making, and planning. The notion of “sight” or “vision” as an important leadership trait is reinforced frequently throughout the drama; for example,

King Lear: “Out of my sight!”

Earl of Kent: “See better, Lear . . .”

According to William Sandy, performance improvement consultant and author of Forging the Productivity Partnership, there are several criteria or characteristics that are critical in selecting leaders. Pick a leader who:

Brings sense to the mission

Can build a team, figure out precisely what diverse contributors bring to the end result, and get the best out of them

Can give pinpointed counsel to strengthen output

Has high standards; cares about what happens

Is a good communicator, both for clarity of direction and to get people excited

Is credible and consistent; will earn the right to be listened to

Is willing to innovate and take measured risks to achieve breakthroughs

Is willing to listen

Is willing to measure what happens, take the heat and responsibility, and keep the focus on results rather than sideshows

Sees the possibilities of change

Understands the role of communication to help people understand

Understands the role of knowledge to help people grow

Understands the targeted audience and cares about their problems

Will patiently earn receptivity for new ideas; coach, teach, and lead by example; and make adjustments when required

Will share credit; will build upon other people's foundations, including the work of predecessors

(Sandy, William. Forging the Productivity Partnership. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1990. Used with permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies.)