Forbes FYI | Bard in the Boardroom

Forbes FYI | Bard in the Boardroom

Our Washington friend Ken Adelman has worn many hats in his day: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Director of Arms Control under Ronald Reagan, one-time translator for Muhammad Ali and, for more than 20 years, professor of Shakespeare. Of late, he and his wife, Carol, whose accomplishments and charm make his own pale, have carved themselves an interesting niche as itinerant Shakespearean corporate- management motivators. They conduct half-day and day-long workshops on how Shakespeare can help your company with everything from beating the competition to human-resource management and labor negotiations.

It's a funny concept—down to chief operating officers prancing about in Shakespearean skits in tights—but apparently it's working. The New York Times reported that Northrop Grumman's Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector hired the Adelmans for a day to show its top managers how a close study of, among other plays, Henry V, could help them beat out competitors for that big Pentagon contract. Along the way, Northrop's executives had some fun and did some bonding, which isn't surprising, given who was urging them once more into the breach. The Adelmans would admirably adorn thy next management retreat. As the bard put it, "No profit grows where is no pleasure taken."