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Why Learning from Success Stories May Not Be a Good Idea

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I myself am guilty of this. For at least 10 years, I have read around 400 self-development books in the business category, from authors like Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy, and many others. There is nothing wrong with those books. I am still grateful for having read them, and I still occasionally return to similar ones. However, there is something fundamentally questionable in some of them: the assumption that if we want to become successful, we need to study success stories. The idea is that we should interview millionaires, learn how they got rich, and then treat their answers as a kind of recipe. Of course, if we have to choose between advice from successful and unsuccessful people, it seems logical to listen to those who have succeeded. And in fields where success is closely tied to clearly identifiable skills—like music, the arts, language learning, or science—this approach can indeed be useful. But when it comes to business success, things are more complicated. Even in music, t...
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How Can I Admit My Own Faults?

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  At first glance, this question sounds almost unnecessary. In many cultures, religions, and workplaces, admitting your faults is officially seen as a virtue. We are told that recognizing mistakes is a sign of maturity, honesty, and strength. And yet, reality often looks very different. If you observe public figures—politicians or CEOs of large companies—you will rarely see a sincere admission of fault. A prominent example is Donald Trump , who, regardless of one’s political opinion, consistently shifts responsibility to others—be it institutions, countries, or individuals. Why does this happen, if admitting mistakes is supposedly valued? The answer lies in experience. In many parts of the world, especially in countries shaped by the legacy of the former Soviet Union, people have learned something very different from the ideal. The unwritten rule is not “respect someone who admits fault,” but rather: if you are down, others may push you down even further . In such environ...
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In a crisis, improving Communication and Soft Skills becomes More Important

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  Communication skills, often called soft skills , are sometimes seen as “nice to have” compared to hard professional skills. The challenge comes when a major crisis hits. Companies face pressure to cut costs, and employees naturally worry about the financial situation. In this environment the likelihood, that people communicate efficiently decreases. Miscommunication or lack of communication increases the risk of problems in product delivery and service quality, which in turn makes the company even more vulnerable in the market. One of the most critical risks is employee silence —when employees stop sharing ideas for improvement or fail to report problems. In a stable environment, employees feel more confident in contributing to innovation and problem-solving. In a crisis, however, fear and uncertainty can freeze this flow of ideas, leaving companies without the internal insights they need most. This makes developing communication and soft skills before and during challengin...
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Do I Speak Too Fast? Or Is That Not the Real Problem?

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A recent question from a participant: “I speak too fast, and sometimes people don’t understand me—especially when I get emotional or agitated. What can I do?” Let’s start with an important principle: In communication, everything is relative. Speed Is Not Absolute There is no universally “correct” speaking speed. Some people prefer fast, energetic speech. Others feel more comfortable with a slower, more structured pace. What matters is not only how we speak—but how we are perceived . Interestingly, our self-perception is often misleading. For example, I personally tend to worry that I speak too fast. Yet more often, I receive the opposite feedback: that I speak too slowly. This shows how important it is to test our assumptions . Without feedback, we are often guessing. What Influences Speaking Speed? There are several possible reasons why we might speak too fast. 1. Perceived Status and Authority Some studies suggest a correlation between social status and spea...
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Why Keeping Updated on Politics Improves Your Customer Service

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Many people have tuned out of what’s happening in the world. That’s understandable. There’s so much negativity—economic crises, corruption, wars—that it can feel overwhelming. Politics, to many, appears to be a dirty game. So why would anyone deliberately choose to stay informed? And yet, I recommend exactly that. Let me explain. When people say, “I’m not interested in politics,” what they often mean is something broader. In practice, “politics” becomes a synonym for everything happening in the world: economic developments, social tensions, public debates, cultural shifts. It’s not just about elections or parties—it’s about the context in which people live. And if someone is not interested in what is going on in the world, there is a strong chance they are also not deeply interested in what is going on in the minds and hearts of their customers. That may sound harsh—but it’s worth reflecting on. I often hear people say, “I only focus on positive things—self-development...
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How to Handle Toxic People at Work

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  This is a question I receive at almost all my public speaking events and seminars: How do we deal with toxic individuals at work? My answer may not always sound very sensitive at first, so please be patient with me. Nowadays, the word “toxic” has become an umbrella term for many different phenomena. We are often very quick to label other people as toxic or even narcissists before carefully analyzing the situation. So before we discuss what to do about toxic people, it is worth asking a few uncomfortable questions. First, the situation itself may be more complex than it appears. If the difficult person is a customer, for example, we often have no idea what circumstances they are facing. Someone who is under pressure, in panic, or dealing with a serious problem may show verbal aggression or behave unpleasantly. In such cases, I would hesitate to call that person a toxic person . It may simply be a moment of stress. Second, it can happen that the other person confronts us w...
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Learning Perspective-Taking in Conversation

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I know that for some of you this might sound a bit strange—perhaps even controversial. Personally, I try to consume news media from the opposite side of the current political administration. For example, during the presidency of Joe Biden, I regularly followed Fox News and the New York Post . Now, with Donald Trump in office, I check CNN and The New York Times . The idea is simple: if you regularly expose yourself to perspectives you don’t typically share, it doesn’t mean you have to adopt those views. But it does make it easier to understand—and sometimes empathize with—people who hold different opinions. What does this have to do with the workplace? Quite a lot. Many of our colleagues and clients come from different political, cultural, or religious backgrounds. But the same principle also applies professionally. If you work in one field, you might deliberately read publications intended for professionals in a different area—for example, from another department in your comp...
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