Drawing comparisons between consultancy and the classical tragedy, King Lear, the author explores the core theme of responsibility. Arguing that King Lear is vital to gaining an understanding of consulting, leadership and management, the author explores in detail the positive lessons to be learnt from this tragedy for the manager and the management consultant. Erik de Haan is a Senior Organisation Development Consultant at Ashridge Consulting. He specialises in the interpersonal and dramatic aspects of working in groups and organisations. He has worked as a trainer and consultant for different firms in the Netherlands.

Erik de Haan is a Senior Consultant at Ashridge Consulting at Ashridge Management School. He was previously a consultant in the Netherlands and researcher at the University of Utrecht. He has written more than 150 articles and eleven books in different languages, among which are 'Fearless Consulting', ' Relational Coaching', 'Supervision in Action', and 'Pocketbook Team Coaching'. The Dutch edition of his book 'Learning with Colleagues' has been a bestseller in the Netherlands and he has also written a book on the importance of Shakespeare's 'King Lear' for managers.

Prologue -- Introduction -- Exposition -- Development -- Crisis and peripeteia -- Denouement -- Catastrophe and exodus -- Conclusion -- Epilogue