Leadership lessons from literature This emphasis on the human experience is what makes literature such a useful teaching tool in business and management courses. Philosophy and art challenge us to think: where is the tipping point, when does efficiency start to compromise wellbeing? The archetypal mission-focused manager dates back to some of the earliest recorded texts. In Homer’s Odyssey , the titular character is driven by a singular objective: to return home to Ithaca after the events of the Trojan War. But at what human cost? Odysseus’ narrow field of vision blinds him on several occasions to decisions that would protect the wellbeing of his ship’s crew. Perhaps the epic poem’s most famous section is Odysseus’ encounter with the cannibalistic cyclops, Polyphemus. The crew immediately sense danger and beg their captain to leave the monster’s lair, but Odysseus is curious to know what the cyclops looks like and whether it will offer him gifts. Instead, Polyphemus eats several members of the party. While an HR manager today can reasonably expect not to have to deal with bloodthirsty giants, the underlying message remains applicable. By often refusing to listen to and empathise with others, Odysseus ultimately loses all of his team. In a modern business setting, this could reflect a firm struggling with talent retention. Neither does the narrative shrink away from showing the brutal impact this has on the leader. Odysseus is the only survivor, navigating the sea on a makeshift raft. In the end, when he returns, it is with a new sense of self informed by his mistakes. So, was Odysseus a good leader? This is the question that turns the Odyssey into a teaching resource. It could be argued either way, but the aim is to encourage reflection, not necessarily to reach a definitive conclusion. This is especially pertinent for programmes such as the Grande École or equivalent master’s in management (MiM) programmes, where students are typically around 21-25 years of age.
Each session starts with a contemporary reference to anchor the lesson to current challenges. This could be a film scene, an extract from recent literature, or a workplace situation. Students are then guided through several excerpts from foundational works of literature, delving right back to the classics, to show how issues such as domination, exclusion and responsibility permeate discussions of leadership across time. For example, one of the sessions focuses on the relationship between humans and machines. The session starts by exploring this topic through the lens of contemporary science fiction, with excerpts from Vallée du Silicium (Silicon Valley) by Alain Damasio. Students then reflect on how modern concerns about advanced technology are reflected in the Gothic fiction of Shelley’s Frankenstein . Moving further back in time, the session culminates in exploring the myth of Prometheus as recounted in Hesiod’s Theogony and Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound , allowing students to confront the enduring tension between a creator and their creation and giving them an understanding of Shelley’s subtitle, The Modern Prometheus . It’s a pertinent theme for a generation of leaders and entrepreneurs who will be expected to implement emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. An analysis by US labour market intelligence firm Lightcast has found that AI skills are linked to a 28 per cent uplift in salary. Exploring this topic through the lens of the humanities ensures that human considerations remain at the forefront of teaching. We appreciate that students need to have the technical proficiency to utilise a range of digital tools to innovate and refine business operations. However, they should
also be encouraged to contemplate the responsibility inherent in innovation.
28 Ambition • ISSUE 2 • 2026
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online