The one you see in the cartoon strip is a rather common situation in small and, sometimes, medium-sized companies. The business owner manages the company personally, is aware of his know-how and intends to protect it. The possibility that his staff member could strengthen the competitor’s ranks or even become a threat to his leadership […]

During a not recent (unfortunately) holiday in Berlin, I spent a pleasant evening in an old pub (120 years old). The poster you can see in the photo was posted in several parts of the place: Be nice, or leave! Would such a message be useful in preventing inappropriate behaviours also in organisations? Reminding everybody […]

There is a widespread tendency to seek shortcuts to success: the TV appearance and the lottery ticket often replace a serious skill-building plan. But what happens when, especially in business, fortune is mistaken for competence? Nothing wrong with that, actually! However, it is important to be aware of one’s own ability to manage the business […]

Selling is a complicated business, selling yourself may appear prohibitive. Gaining a job, getting a professional assignment, being perceived as different from other people competing for the same result can be vital: even in private life! So how can we check whether we are prepared to reach the goal we want to achieve? I am […]

We are persuaded that we can do more than one thing at the same time. And this is true. We can walk and read the newspaper, listen to music while ironing a shirt, or shave and think about what we are going to do in a while; but we are not so conscious that, in […]

It seems that even in Europe we are starting to challenge the conviction that the success of companies depends on a few people, the so-called talents. The thinking has started with American companies, many of which are asking themselves: Does it make sense to entrust the competitiveness of the company to just part of the […]

Today I want to talk to you about a test that might be useful in assessing your knowledge on a specific matter. It is a short test that I learned to take on two important occasions: whenever I am about to face a task that is new to me, at least partially; when I want […]

I often came across not so prepared people who combine lack of competence with a good deal of overconfidence. One day I asked myself: What prompts an incompetent person to adopt an attitude that edges on arrogance? Is there a connection between ignorance and overconfidence? These questions remained unanswered until I learned about the Dunning-Kruger […]

There is a widespread perception that highly talented people may not work hard to get results; or even not work at all. Is this true? Is it always true? Now let me tell you something that, at least partially, surprised me. In the early 1990s, psychologist K. Andeers Ericsson and two colleagues completed a research […]