reading macbeth

This past weekend I read Shakespeare's Macbeth, a play many of us read (or were supposed to read) in high school or college.  While I thought I had read the play in the intervening 40 years since high school, I was surprised that I had not and remembered very little of the play.  It was fresh to me, intriguing, intense, full of high drama, and a study in leadership.  My regular readers know that when others ask me for recommendations of leadership texts, I will refer them to the great literature of the world - fiction, poetry, philosophy, and drama.  Shakespeare is one of my favorites to recommend including Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III, and now Macbeth.  Here are five leadership lessons I learned from reading Macbeth.

1. Ambition can be a dangerous thing: Once Macbeth (and for that matter, Lady Macbeth) decided he should be king, there was nothing that would get in their way.  Their ambition to have control of the country drove their every motive and action, stopping at nothing to achieve their goal. To be ambitious is a good thing...to have it be the sole driver in one's life can lead to dire consequences.
2. Supporting voices are not always in one's best interest: Lady Macbeth was her husband's biggest supporter - and also the instigator behind him committing his first murder.  Just as Macbeth was ready to back away from his evil ambition, she spurred him on to move forward, no matter the cost.  Having others support you is a good thing...having them be in control of your decisions can lead to dire consequences.
3. Be careful of the voices in one's head: For Macbeth, it was the witches in which he believed; if they said he would be king, then of course he would be king.  There are many ways people hear voices direct them into action, be they spiritually based, supernaturally based, or internally based.  Believing in and listening to spiritual authorities can be helpful...not being skeptical of  and letting those voices go unchecked can lead to dire consequences.
4. Always believe there is a time to turn back: There are several moments in the play in which Macbeth can make a decision not to act and turn around his course toward destruction...and then the reader realizes that Macbeth is doomed because he can no longer change course.  Consistently asking questions and having the courage to stop one's course of action is a key to leadership.  Moving forward despite tough circumstances is necessary for leaders...moving forward when one knows they should stop can lead to dire consequences.
5. Know why you want to lead: Macbeth's reason for wanting to be king is that he was told by the witches he would be king.  He never stops to ask the existential question of why he really wants this role and why the country needs him in this role.  Perhaps one of the most important questions those aspiring for leadership positions can ask is "Why do I want this position?" Striving for a leadership role is a noble undertaking...striving for a leadership role with no solid reasons can lead to dire consequences.

So what will you read this weekend?  More than likely many of my readers will have a copy of Macbeth somewhere on their bookshelves at home; others may need to visit their local bookstore or library; others will no doubt order it on Amazon and receive it the next day (I love Amazon Prime!); and others will find a film version of the drama on Netflix.  I would encourage you to read it once through (perhaps with a modern translation on the opposite page); then read it again while listening to it (download from your streaming provider); and then read it a third time with only the original language.  In addition to the great story, Shakespeare's language is incredible, the poetry is fantastic (especially in the scenes with the witches), and the multiple phrases that have become part of our everyday language are fun to see in their original context.  My hope is that this blog (along with the others I have written) will not be "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."