We’ve discussed multiple different ways the world of arts and the world of business coincide. Today is another addition to those that I have already shared with you. This day is a day we take some advice from Shakespeare about love and war, as well as business. Today’s topic: Macbeth.

If you are unfamiliar with the plot of the play, here is a very brief summary: On his return from war, Macbeth comes across three witches along with his another general named Banquo, whom is killed by Macbeth after he hears the prophecy. The witches predict that one day Macbeth will become king and because of this he murders the current king, Duncan. His wife helps him commit this act. The crown is then passed on to Macbeth. Banquo’s ghost begins to hunt Macbeth and his wife. She grows mad and weary with guilt. In the end, as is usual with Shakespeare, just about everyone dies.

So, what is there to learn from this that applies to the modern day? Well..

1. Do not mistake ambition for something else. The biggest lesson to learn from this play is that ambition can become something monstrous if you forget that the best way to become successful is an honest and hardworking way. Macbeth gets very far in the play, becoming the king, even, but he does it at a cost he can hardly fathom – he takes lives, and does it without regret or conscious because he feels that is what he is supposed to do to succeed instead of working hard for what he wants and earning it through pure means. This is the same when you’re working towards any goal, or any position in a business, whatever you achieve will not be worth it if it is achieved in negative ways because in the end, the truth always comes out and scores are always settled.
2. If someone you trust is about to make a poor decision, tell them that it is a poor decision. It’s incredibly difficult to tell someone that you think what they are about to do is something that they shouldn’t, especially if it is a supervisor or boss at work, but that is always the best thing to do because the consequences of not admitting what you feel are much greater than the opposite. If Macbeth’s wife had protested to the original murder, she never would have taken her life at the end because she would not have had the guilt to worry her. This is very important in a business setting because it is never a single person’s decision, an office is a well oiled machine that completely relies on proper communication and honesty between employee and employer, employer and employee.

The point of these blogs is to remind you that the best ways to handle your business and lessons to learn these things by can be found just about anywhere and the sooner you start looking, the more you will find in places you would never expect. To stay at the edge of issues on HR and staffing, be sure to subscribe to the Human Capital Supply Chain Blog.