Critique and the Invisible / February 10, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Smart people recognize their flaws. Hence, it's natural for them to feel dissatisfied with themselves or have self-doubt. When external voices join internal criticism, a chorus arises. It can drown out everything, even the desire to live and create.

Fighting criticism is futile. Like the force of gravity, it will always pull the object towards the ground. But there's a way out. As an object, you must disappear.

How? Direct 100% of your attention to a worthwhile external goal:

a creative pursuit,
an engaging sport,
a meaningful venture,
a mysterious phenomenon,
an intriguing conversationalist, etc.

The more meaning activity X holds for you, the more important what you give to it, not what you don't have.

At that moment, your efficiency reaches its peak, even though you seem not to exist.

Paradox.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.

Your Hidden Ace / February 9, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

People frequently squander their precious resources.

Blame it on the "sports" mindset.

After all, in sports, opponents' chances are equalized through:

referees,
age restrictions,
weight categories,
standardization of equipment,
a ban on doping, and so on.

Why? Fans crave drama, willpower clashes, and supreme skill.

Example: MMA enthusiasts admire those epic battles where two fighters turn each other's faces into mush. On the flip side, critics slammed Canadian fighter GSP for his "too boring," read effective, victories in the spirit of "came, saw, conquered."

School, university, and the 9-to-5 grind reinforce the sports mentality. Society rewards players for the best performance within the established rules of the game.

The problem is that sports are a convention. As a tool for skill development, it's valuable, but nothing more. In the real world, no force actively levels the playing field between you and your vis-à-vis.

In reality, the victor is the one armed with the leverage, the ace, the edge. It's about creating an asymmetric advantage, turning a powerful aggressor into a helpless child. For instance:

the element of surprise,
unprecedented technologies,
a knowingly accumulated reserve of strength,
creative use of the surrounding environment,
disrupting the adversary's internal harmony and cohesion,
outpacing the opponent in decision-making speed, and so on.

Your leverage enables you to achieve a massive impact with minimal resources: energy, money, and time.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Negotiations with Fate / February 8, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Life's a series of negotiations. It feels like you're tackling hurdles or haggling with different folks. But truth is, there's one main opponent - fate.

As a seasoned negotiator, fate positions itself strongly. It plays dirty by targeting your weak spots. Faced with unbearable consequences, you might wave the white flag.

One round ends, another starts. Your score is noted, whether you're up or down. Power shifts back and forth.

It's the Matthew Effect at play: "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."

It's not unfair, but losing all the time isn't smart. Your opponent, fate, is relentless and crafty. How do you come out on top?

Your basic aim is to neutralize fate's leverage against you. The less you depend on comfort and pleasure, the harder it is for fate to bully you.

Best case scenario? Turn fate's weapon into your own. Oddly enough, welcome the challenges fate throws at you.

But how? Find personal meaning in them.

Sure, it's tough. But even gradual progress towards the ideal makes you invulnerable, confident, and strong.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Hunting in Chaos / February 7, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

I wanna write an article, but words don't come to me for an hour.

Before, there was fear: "What if there are no ideas?" Now, I'm cool.

I am learning to appreciate the graceful side of uncertainty.

For example, it's not that you fear a shortage of ideas. Rather, you're overwhelmed by their abundance. So, the real question is "What to choose?" not "Where to find?"

Furthermore, hanging out in the unknown now gives me joy.

Like a wild creature, I roam through the dense forest. My path is chaotic, but I know exactly when I catch a scent. The hunt itself is a reward. Looking is just as exciting as finding.

Turns out, chaos has become a buddy in one part of my life. It's not just in my head; my whole body feels it every day. And that opens up a chance to color other parts of life with this wild experience.

This way of looking at things pumps me up. Reality faces us, not turns away, if we handle it right.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Implicit Truth / February 6, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Once upon a time, I danced to the tune of partners and clients. It usually ended badly for all of us.

For instance, a client would articulate how he envisioned solving his problem. In his perception, the diagnosis was clear, and all that remained was to choose the best response to the question: "How?"

Inside me, protest would rise, but I suppressed it. After all, the client's arguments were clear, tangible, and logical. And my doubts were just a vague sense of "Something's wrong here."

The mistake cost me dearly. But I had to make it many times before the following thought finally dawned on me:

Not everything obvious is true. The real may not yet have a form.

Later, in the works of philosopher Eugene Gendlin, I found an explanation for why this is so. The implicit process of life gives birth to all tangible forms—from rough ideas to sophisticated paradigms.

As the boy in the movie "Amélie" said, "The fool looks at a finger that points at the sky." Alas, we too easily forget that any symbol is merely a pointer to phenomenon X.

So, I started focusing not on the clients' words but on what they are truly suffering from and trying to describe. In 99 cases out of 100, reality is completely different from what they imagined.

But usually, I don't have a clear understanding either. Fortunately, it's not needed. The only thing required is my intention and the client's to unearth the truth at any cost.

That's how my job simplified. The key is to choose partners and clients who have matured enough to question their familiar arguments and cherished beliefs.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Fractal of Life / February 5, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Fractal – it's a set possessing the property of self-similarity.

The whole has the same shape as one or more of its parts.

In nature, fractal properties can be found in:

clouds,
seashells,
lightning,
snowflakes,
tree canopies,
mountain ranges,
circulatory systems,
Romanesco broccoli heads, and so on.

But it seems that our problems are also part of this set.

In our naivety, we stumble into numerous traps and predicaments.

With experience comes the knowledge of the types of riddles, obstacles, and pitfalls.

Eventually, it dawns on us that the same pattern repeats everywhere.

For instance, someone reveling in the victim role will find an oppressor, and then a savior, anywhere: at work, in the elevator, or at the gym.

You might think that's the end of it, but no.

Exploring an individual's meta-problems reveals their similarity to the problems of a group, society, and humanity as a whole.

Such fractality is disheartening as it immediately brings forth a sense of doom and fatalism, a la Groundhog Day.

But shift the perception a tad, and the sign changes from "-" to "+":

By solving your problems, you get the key to all the locks that exist.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Intuition's Caution / February 4, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

You're finalizing a deal, and there's one crucial moment left.

In a dispute, there's a chance to turn it against you.

"Don't you trust me?" persuades your client or investor.

Perplexed, you ponder: "Of course, I trust you, but..."

With that "but," wise intuition tries to protect you.

The difficulty is: Intuition points to something implicit.

Formally, everything is in order:

You know this person quite well.
You've done business with him before.
He's never let you down.

Let me translate what intuition is trying to tell you: "Without a doubt, personally, I trust you 100%. But, in reality, I'm making a deal with your company, not with you. We don't know who will be in your position in 3-5 years. With all due respect, anything can happen to you:

Someone else may take your place.
Owners, values, and strategies may change.
You might burn out, get sick, or even die."

A reasonable person would agree, putting themselves in your shoes.

But what if your vis-a-vis eliminates the chance of such scenarios?

This means your intuition is even more right.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Analyzing Life / February 3, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

The beauty of the mind lies in its ability to dissect anything.

Analysis originates from the ancient Greek word ἀνάλυσις, signifying division, dissection, and breakdown. The mind's function is to understand, explain, memorize, and predict phenomena to control them.

Indeed, the secrets of the material world unfold through this process. We learn which elementary particles form its foundation and the cause-and-effect relationships between them.

However, the mind stumbles and painfully falls each time it attempts to analyze humans in particular and life in general.

The problem is that analysis is not arbitrary; it always rests on a certain paradigm explaining the surrounding world. Metaphorically, it's like relatively solid ground, an island wrested from the chaos ocean.

But no matter how great the island is, wherever you look, water surrounds it. At any moment, our knowledge is limited, while ignorance is not. The world is certainly knowable, but never fully so.

This fact is easily forgotten when spending days in the laboratory with a chromatograph or microscope. The problem with intelligence is that it falls in love with its creations and tries to reduce the richness of life only to them.

However, life doesn't fit into a ready-made form, which astonishes or even enrages the mind. And sometimes, a catastrophe occurs. The island is hit by a tsunami, shattering the paradigm that the mind has painstakingly built.

By castrating pride, reality indicates the true place of the mind. Despite all its merits, it cannot be the chief. There must always be someone else above it. When the hierarchy is restored, many positive things emerge:

Curiosity and confidence replace fear and anxiety.
Intelligence serves correctly, bringing benefit rather than harm.
Appreciation extends not only to what exists but also to what can be.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Entrepreneurial Trait / February 2, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

In childhood, we'd venture into the woods for mushrooms. Apparently, someone older was a connoisseur, as no one had ever been poisoned.

Today, if I filled a basket with mushrooms, I wouldn't dare eat them. Even butter caps, chanterelles, or porcini would be suspect to me. The forest generously opens its treasures, yet I pass by with a growling stomach.

The same phenomenon unfolds in every aspect of life. A specialist peacefully swims among sharks, while others fear to dip their toes. Tourists stare at random tracks, while a bushman reads the book of the savannah with interest.

Understanding and appreciating such expertise is universal. People find it harder to grasp the specifics of entrepreneurship. They often think that such a person is an expert in a specific industry.

So, they are shocked when an entrepreneur sells a candy factory, then builds a modern medical center, followed by a successful SaaS project management business.

The entrepreneur's strength isn't solely in comprehensive industry knowledge, despite studying how its 'engine' operates. It's not just about business management skills, like a professional CEO.

Founders have the gift of spotting mind-boggling opportunities where none seem to exist. Boldly diving their hands into poisonous slime and nauseating mud, they extract uncut diamonds into the light.

Like sculptors or poets, entrepreneurs see the implicit, holding such colossal value that they can't help but devote all their energy and time to it.

But if you sense the creative impulse even occasionally, the entrepreneurial superpower should be clear to you.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Disorder Detector / February 1, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

What happens if you ignore chaos for a while?

It subtly and seamlessly integrates into your familiar context.

To the point where parting with it becomes a challenge.

Any changes feel like disrupting the dear status quo.

Voila! The disorder becomes the new order. We can observe this phenomenon at all levels — from a country to a flat.

Disrupted families and organizations are quite similar. To an outsider, it seems like stepping into a madhouse. People behave oddly but pretend it's normal.

This distortion of reality applies to everyone. What's glaringly obvious to an onlooker, we simply don't see. And when they point out the anomaly, we may even resist at first.

Thus, every "system" needs a tool to detect and fix the inevitable glitch in time. For an individual, it's friends, confession, or therapy. For a company — an audit, advisor, or board.

In other words, the "system" must acknowledge its vulnerability and the need for an external perspective. Individuals, organizations, and nations evolve and excel only by overcoming pride, complacency, and isolationism.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Who Is the Wizard? / January 31, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Billion-dollar industries are built on one illusion.

It's the founder's dream that someone will build his business for him.

No one will literally tell you these words, of course.

But deep down, the founder secretly believes such a wizard exists.

Alas, many people exploit this insight for selfish purposes:

A business trainer promises to turn average sellers into superstars.
A consultant vows to create a turnkey lead generation system.
HR guarantees swift recruiting and a conflict-free team.
A CEO candidate pledges the owner freedom from operations.
A business school enlightens that a board is the solution to all problems.
An investment banker insists that PE funds will be queuing up.

The founder is tempted, burned, and calms down for a while.

But the dream persists; a new storyteller will knock on the door.

The key is to accept reality as it is.

If the magician exists, it's not someone external; it's you.

The founder's role is to work miracles, extracting Something from Nothing.

Yes, it's sometimes long and hard, but in the end, you achieve your goal.

Inside you, the Spirit of Creation is bubbling; always bet on it.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

The Art of Patient Questions / January 30, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

At the initial session, I urge the entrepreneur: "Try to formulate your request."

For about twenty minutes, he (or she) shares the story, nuances, and details.

Finally, he looks at me with a questioning gaze, like, "So, what shall I do now?"

Sure, I've got a bunch of ideas itching to be spilled.

But I hold back and ask again, "So, what's the request, exactly?"

The entrepreneur is puzzled. He ponders deeply. Initially, he thought the problem was clear, but now he's not so sure.

Struggling with words, he articulates for the first time what truly bothers him. By asking clarifying questions, I help him better realize why he's here now and what for.

At the end of the session, the entrepreneur warmly thanks me. But why? We haven't even tackled finding a solution yet.

He feels relief and an energy boost for a reason. The precise description of the problem reduced uncertainty. Therefore, his anxiety decreased. Now it's clear where to focus efforts.

"Don't rush to answer an unasked question," my therapist said.

Be patient and reality will unfold before you on its own.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

The Gift and Curse of Non-being / January 29, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Are you anxious when facing surgery under general anesthesia?

It’s understandable since there’s no 100% guarantee you’ll wake up.

Yet, the same thing happens every night.

One moment you’re awake; the next, you’re vanishing into non-being.

We embrace the nightly ‘anesthesia’ because we’ve grown accustomed to it. Besides, dreams entertain us.

Dreams are an in-between state where the paralyzed consciousness passively observes whatever someone decides to show us.

Even in nightmares, there’s some pulsation, life, and drama.

Non-existence scares us more because there is nothing, has been nothing, and will be nothing there.

The paradox is that in peak experiences, our 'self' also disappears completely:

extraordinary efforts in science, business, sports, or service,
mystical experiences,
recognizing beauty,
unity with nature,
enlightenment,
childbirth,
creativity,
love etc.

So, how does a peak experience differ from a dream or anesthesia?

We merge with something much more valuable than ourselves.
Our ego vanishes, yet we become more aware of who we are.
What we are taking part in feels like true life.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

The Vitality of Paradox / January 28, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

The most challenging problems have paradoxical solutions. Otherwise, someone would have long found the key to the lock.

A paradoxical solution contradicts everything known:

common opinions,
scientific positions,
common sense.

“Παράδοξος” (ancient greek) means “unexpected, strange,” from “παρα” (against) and “δόξα” (assumption). The last word is crucial.

We forget that our worldview is a set of assumptions. Some are explicit, but most have the nature of axioms. We unknowingly absorbed them with the milk of the culture in which we grew up.

One day, reality and our model of it clash. Have you ever traveled with a GPS navigator in a foreign country? If so, you might recall the bewilderment when the program once demanded that you drive straight into an abyss.

It turns out the solution may be right under our nose, but we don't see it because, in our universe, it simply cannot exist by default.

Most often, you need to adjust a couple of hidden assumptions. The veil falls immediately, and the number of your options instantly expands.

But sometimes an individual, organization, or nation denies reality for too long, clinging to a set of false ideologies. Here healing comes through a hard-earned choice: illusions or life.

This explains the exultation when a shift finally happens. The paradoxical solution opens the door to the energy to live and create. Conflict disappears. Now you and reality are in sync.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Two Sides of Chaos / January 27, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

"Every startup is a disaster until it is not," entrepreneur and investor David Friedberg nailed it. It's hard to grasp for those accustomed to cushy conditions – that's most folks. They tackle familiar tasks by grabbing a handy tool off the shelf, that someone else thoughtfully bought for them.

To regular folks, the risk of "crazy" founders would become clearer only if every single day they face:

The impossibility of sharing responsibility with anyone.
The threat of unjust firing right before triumph.
The duty to solve never-seen-before problems.
Shame for betraying the trust of many.
Public humiliation labeled as "loser."
Loss of all personal funds.

No wonder startup founders often swing between ecstatic excitement and borderline paranoid anxiety. So much can go wrong. And it surely will.

Until success unexpectedly lands on one out of ten. Such a high cost and such low odds of victory. What drives them?

Some will say it's the thirst for wealth, control, and power. Others will point to a higher tolerance for risk. The rest will highlight a desire to leave a mark in history and improve people's lives.

I believe the explanation lies in Chaos. Like any phenomenon, it has two sides. The price of uncertainty is visible to the naked eye. But the proximity to catastrophe also completely unleashes human potential. Danger compels a person to reveal hidden or undiscovered abilities. Anything goes in a deadlock.

Thus, it's not the outcome (money, status, influence) but the entrepreneurial process itself that instantly bestows:

Participation in achieving the impossible.
Absolute freedom to be who you are.
Personally crafted meaning.

For founders, such gifts outweigh almost any sacrifice.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

How Living Systems Self-Destruct / January 26, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

When do countries, companies, or individuals prosper?

They thrive when nothing stands in the way of the free creators.

Their work adds floors and renovates the foundation.

Unfortunately, people often trample the source of the "water of life".

They produce an excess of laws and rules that constrain the creator.

But why?

They are driven by the fear of losing what they already have.
Their arrogant mind thinks it knows everything.
They seek control over the process of creating 1 from 0.

One day, the creator wakes up, unable to move a hand or a foot. Overnight, Lilliputians entangled Gulliver with a million threads.

From this moment, such a "system" will break, wither, and decay.

For a state, this period may take 69 years, as with the USSR. Due to competition, these businesses collapse within a few years. A person drags through existence, filling the emptiness inside with alcohol.

What can be done to prevent this undesirable scenario?

To begin with, analyze the collection of laws and rules.

Then, identify destructive rules and eradicate them.

Finally, repeat this exercise regularly as a ritual.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Free From Your Myth / January 25, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

On the canvas, Sisyphus is stubbornly pushing a stone uphill.

People comment on Instagram: "Why isn't the stone black?"

I think the artist chose the perfect color.

Blue is the color of hope.

The gods punished Sisyphus for trying to cheat death.

But the myth doesn't explain why he continued his senseless labor.

My guess - the gods made him believe in the possibility of success.

I often observe this phenomenon in business therapy.

The founder replays the unfortunate scenario over and over.

Why? He (or she) is convinced: This time it will be different.

One false assumption disrupts the entire "system."

In his perception, the stone has the color of the sky, not black soil.

As long as he's in the grip of illusion, resources will be wasted.

Symbolically, my goal is to help the hero of the myth lift the curse.

For that, the founder needs to see reality for what it is.

He's stuck in a time loop, turning his life into torture.

The mistaken assumption is implicit, so the key is to voice it.

Having seen reality, it is impossible to unsee it.

Immediately or after some time, but changes are inevitable.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Your Sanity in a Crazy World / January 24, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Looking around, it's easy to get down. Feels like the world's heading south:

In the ashes of religions, ideology weeds sprout.
Tech progress speeds up people going backward.
Civilized society smashes its own foundation.
Democracies turn into dictatorships with surprising ease.
Prisoners of war are tortured as in ancient times.
Angry crowds burn heretics in digital bonfires.

Hoping that Mars colonization, AI, or universal income will change human life for the better is naive at best.

A millennium of culture is like pollen, not even a beast's skin. One gust of History, and we hear the beast's soul-chilling howl.

Antibiotics, industrialization, and the internet caused a revolution. But human nature stays the same. Despite aspiring to holiness, humans regularly regress to the level of chimpanzees.

But don't rush to be sad — there's good news.

If all attempts to "build our new world" lead to nothing, isn't that a clear sign of better path?

The only things you control are your spirit, mind, and body. And if you're honest with yourself, it's clear how hard it is to change them.

The size of these efforts burn the illusion that someone can be helped from outside, especially if they didn't ask.

But when you manage to untangle the mental "knot," turn a curse into a gift, or kick a bad habit, that victory is yours to keep.

Furthermore, you observe that internal changes "coincide" with positive shifts in your immediate circle.

Conclusion: don't worry about the world's clutter — you have plenty to do within.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Please Speak / January 23, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Han Chengli, Inner Mongolian Child, 2003

"In the beginning, there was the word..." That famous idea isn't random.

There are many reasons why this is true. Here's one, for instance.

When people stay silent for too long, conflict arises. If the energy can't find an outlet, the closed system within bursts from within.

Suddenly, a people snap, and their reaction (violence) is excessive.

They got a release, but now it's shameful to recall the incident.

Alas, between the impulse and the action, an important step is missed — the word. The beauty of words is that they're like prototypes, models, and drafts. Implicit meaning transforms into explicit form. Finally, you can grasp it, try it on, and evaluate.

Most importantly, words allow you to receive feedback. Others or even you yourself can now express your attitude toward what was implied in those words.

Thanks to this back-and-forth exchange, you can quickly dispel illusions, correct mistakes, and see the essence. And the cost of this exercise is minimal. In heated debates, there are no life threats.

You probably thought, 'Hmm, this is obvious.' But somehow, when it's not society, but the individual, it's not obvious anymore.

A person repeats like a mantra, 'I am OK, I am OK, I am OK...', even though the temperature and pressure in his 'boiler' is rising. Not only those around him but also their subconscious are genuinely concerned. Excuses, forgetfulness, losses, mistakes, and strange dreams multiply.

Either symbolize the inner conflict in words, or be amazed by its manifestation in actions. Even such a simple step as keeping a diary brings relief. Even better if there's a friendly person in front of you.

Ideally, he or she is a professional who knows how to listen not to what was said, but to what you were trying your best to say.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

Human Under Pressure / January 22, 2024 by Alexander Lyadov

Yesterday, once again, I watched the movie "12 Angry Men."

It's among my top ten favorite films. But why?

The film is black and white. It's been in theaters since 1957. The entire story unfolds in one room, symbolically locked up. A group of jurors must deliver a verdict for an 18-year-old defendant.

Doesn't sound very exciting, right? However, once you start watching it, you're unlikely to pause, even for a bathroom break. You become a witness to a fire, and the drama completely engrosses you.

We first saw it at the Chicago Business School 20 years ago. The professor used it to illustrate decision-making dynamics in a group and the transfer of power in a managerial setting.

But the film offers more insights than a businessman can grasp. A psychologist will notice examples of repression and acting out. A sociologist will relish the stages of conflict development. An existentialist will appreciate the sharp personal choice as a problem of freedom.

Moreover, this film teaches how to withstand societal pressure while remaining true to yourself. With the global rise of Tribalism 2.0 and the leaning towards dictatorship from both left and right forces, the ultimate question becomes how the individual can stay Human.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.