The Peter Principle states that “in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.” Laurence J. Peter made it up in his book The Peter Principle in 1968.

If a person is good at his job, he will be promoted. Eventually, he will reach a position where he is no longer competent to do the job.

I have seen this happen in design studios where a …

The closer your job function is to the making of money, the more important you are perceived to be. People working in profit centres can be very dismissive of those working in cost centres. A company often places more glamour and prestige on profit centre staff. And yet, without the cost centre functions, the business wouldn’t exist. Have you thanked your parents/spouse/partner lately?

My toothbrush broke the other day when I was interstate. It simply won’t turn off. So it went into my check-in luggage merrily whirling away.

I spent the flight planning when to return it to the shop, what I would say, wondering if it was still under warranty, where the receipt was, and given the charger was working would it be a shame to return that or should I …

A current ANZ Bank television ad goes like this: This man is showing a new employee around the office. He goes through an elaborate security and ID process to gain access to the inner sanctum. At the last step of the process, he smashes a glass bubble and grabs the key – which does not work! He then proceeds to bang on the door until someone inside lets …

Do you often feel overwhelmed at work? Are you straining under the weight of your responsibilities? Are you a perfectionist constantly agonising over all the details you need to manage? We cannot possible control everything! And the resultant stress of trying to do so is not nice to live with.

Faith is the answer. I am not talking religion here. Faith means doing the best we can (without killing …

“…the best commercial strategy for my tomorrows is to be present at all times today.” Peter Tunjic, Thoughtpost Legal, writing in Bill Jensen’s book: What is your life’s work?.

I spotted a Deloitte ad at the airport recently. The headline said “steward AND strategist.” It immediately begged the question: Is this possible for a person to be both a steward (someone who runs the day-to-day of a company) and an innovative strategist (someone who envisages ground-breaking future directions for a company)?

I don’t believe so. The two roles demand two incompatible modes of thinking.

A steward is essentially there …

Top Management Lies, by way of Stilgherrian.

This is a piece of insider wisdom from the adult services industry. You don’t work when you are desperate, because it leads you to compromise your values. You may do things you never thought you would. And you may engage with people who are not good for you. (Don’t ask where I got this from, and no, it is not what you think. :P)

There are three broad types of people in organisations: the shining stars, the squeaky troublemakers, and the silent wheels. The shining stars get the accolades and the star treatment. The troublemakers get the attention from HR. And the silent wheels… well they just get on with it. They solve problems on their feet, salve irate clients, work around dumb management directives, and generally keep their organisation running. Here’s …