We often hear and talk about cooperation: in organizational, political, and social contexts in general. It is a widely shared opinion that the solution to many complex situations requires a higher extent of cooperation. However, explaining its authentic meaning is not simple at all. Listen to how the poet Maya Angelou has admirably done it. […]

I have wondered many times if there is a common thread among the people to whom I have seen lose power and/or prestige. Complex analysis, I told myself. Then, this morning, I came across a thought by Jean de la Bruyère, which I think will help indeed. Listen to this. You see men falling from […]

Among the most common difficulties that leaders face in business is to inspire in people the motivation to pursue the desired goals: this is what leadership is all about. Why is this so difficult? Why do people, instead of “pushing” for results, seem to wish to be “pulled”? A not-so-well-known (and used) tool is the […]

The cartoon strip is freely inspired by a quote from poet Maya Angelou. A thought that reminds us that kindness, respect for people and empathy add quality to the building of personal relationships and the lives of each of us. Things that people with business management responsibilities should also remember. What do you think?

Listen to what Ennio Flaiano wrote in 1969 in Il Corriere della Sera about stupidity: Stupidity has made enormous progress. It is a Sun that cannot be watched fixedly. Thanks to the media, it is not even the same anymore, it feeds on other myths, it sells itself a lot, it has made fun of […]

Who is a parvenu? Dictionaries agree to define it as a person who has acquired a superior economic and social status without adapting to the manners of the new context. In most countries the man in power, who inevitably aspires to charismatic leadership, is too often a parvenu. We can define him as a person who […]

People’s motivation at work is highly dependent on how they feel about managing their roles. Listen to what American entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash has to say about this. Everyone has an invisible sign hanging around their neck that says, Make me feel important! Never forget this message when working with people. Whether we are aware […]

We can define a flatterer as one who praises a person exceedingly with exaggerated wording and behaviours, to appear pleasant and/or be accepted, exploiting his/her vanity and gaining his/her favours. Sounds too much? Listen to Honoré de Balzac. Flattery never comes from big souls; it is the domain of small spirits, who make themselves even […]

Some time ago I came across one of the Schegge, articles written in 1971 by Giovanni Papini, a controversial Italian intellectual, for Il Corriere della Sera. Listen to this. Some say nothing but say it well. Others say a lot but say it badly. The worst are those who say nothing and say it badly. […]