Models from literature offer many lessons for leadership, learning, and life. Through an analysis of five Shakespearean characters: Lear, Julius Caesar, Richard III, Othello, and Hamlet, this book invites readers to ponder key leadership strategies, along with the long and short-term implications that these strategies create. Are there common mistakes made by all leaders both past and present? If so, can today's leaders use their knowledge of the past to predict leadership outcomes in the future? How do leaders learn to balance power and authority, and what are the consequences for leaders who are unable to sustain that balance? Shakespeare's characters offer an insight into human nature that provides a rich analysis of these questions.