Henry V and Leadership
Shakespeares Henry V demonstrates greater organizational leadership, and his example could serve as a good guide for any leader in any environment today. The top five practices that Henry employed could be considered good advice now as then because ultimate leadership never changes: it rallies men to the mission at hand and motivates them to buy-in to the challenge and to give it everything they have. To this end, Henry practiced 1) active listening, 2) difficult decision-making, 3) uncompromising commitment to the vision and mission, 4) engaging followers, 5) and personal authenticity.
As Slater (2008) points out, active listening is a way to build leadership capacity, and Henry V does then when he dons a disguise in order to blend in with his followers to hear what they really have to say and think about the situation they are facing. Why does he do this? He does it, first, because he wants their feedback; and, second, he knows he will not get honest feedback if he presents himself to them...
He has to present himself to them as their equal. This shows great leadership on his part because a great leader listens to what those...
…and mission, and leader who will abide by the
law and apply every ounce of strength to achieve a goal. Henry is able to demonstrate personal authenticity because he has taken the time to know thyself, which is, as Lawler and Ashman (2012) explain, the most important step in becoming an authentic leader (p. 327).
By following Henrys example, an organizational leader today would do well. Henry listens, engages, makes the tough decisions, commits himself to the mission and vision, and demonstrates authenticity. Leaders should be responsible, ethical, and accountable; they should interact in meaningful ways with their followers; they should communicate…
