Many centuries ago, how one spoke was a matter of life or death. The word shibboleth comes from ancient Hebrew and this is how it came to be. Two of the twelve tribes of Israel, the Ephramites and the Gileadites, were having what we would today call a feud. It was virtually impossible to… read more
Recent Articles
Pepper de Callier | Executive branding
Many years ago I was a young insurance salesman in Tucson, Arizona. I had just started my own benefits consulting business and I was in search of clients to build my practice. I already had several small to mid-size clients, but what I really wanted was a large, highly visible marquee… read more
Pepper de Callier | Executive branding
As a magnet is to iron filings, so is attitude to success.
It’s quite simple actually. The world is full of “content” experts—people who know a lot about any given subject. There is no shortage of smart people today. If being smart was the key to success, the world of business would… read more
Pepper de Callier | Mentoring
As someone who has made a life’s work of studying leaders, I guess you could say I also have an interest in studying power and status—especially how the acquisition of power and status can change people.
As a young man I remember hearing the story of how a very prominent banker in my… read more
Pepper de Callier | Mentoring
The subject of women in roles of power has been discussed, debated and written about for at least 2,400 years, dating back to Ancient Greece and Aristophanes. It’s one of those topics that has a unique ability to lower the level of objective discourse and raise the level of blood pressure for… read more
Pepper de Callier | Mentoring
Yesterday I promised to give you a powerful formula. Here it is: M = [i] x [v]. I’ll explain what it means and how it ties everything together later, but first let’s get some final thoughts from our panel of leaders about ways in which you can differentiate yourself in this and all the other… read more
Pepper de Callier | Mentoring
I began this series by talking about common sense. The paradox of common sense is that it must address what are often complex issues with extreme simplicity like this old gem: “If it’s too good to be true, chances are it is.” To be really good, though, common sense statements should have a… read more
Pepper de Callier | Mentoring
The conventional wisdom is that this recession has not yet reached its depth in Central and Eastern Europe. Most of the leaders I have talked with over the past three months tell me that the worst of this won’t reach us until the end of the second quarter of this year, and it will be at least… read more
Pepper de Callier | Mentoring
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know we’re in an economic crisis? Personally, I’m in information overload about how it started, who is to blame, what the odds are that we’ll all be living in our cars before it’s over, and what industry will next announce that it’s on the verge of collapse… read more
Pepper de Callier | Mentoring
Throughout history talented and effective leaders have known that taking responsibility for their actions, especially ones that have less than desirable outcomes, sends a powerful message of character and maturity to those who follow them. Conversely, in the eyes of leaders, the same holds true… read more
