What Does “Throw Under the Bus” Mean at Work?

Three Dead People Who Understand Your Workplace

What Elizabeth I, a Medieval Monk and an English Cowherd Knew About Conflict, Comparison and Confidence

Three people have followed you to work: the colleague who turns simple decisions into constitutional crises, the former acquaintance announcing dazzling promotions on LinkedIn, and the voice in your own head suggesting everyone else knows what they are doing. These are the three great pressures of professional life — conflict, comparison and confidence. Fortunately, history has already met them. In this witty and practical briefing, James Allen introduces three unexpected guides: Elizabeth I, who refused to be trapped between bad choices; Bernard of Cluny, the medieval monk who discovered that even people who had renounced wealth still competed over status; and Cædmon, the English cowherd who left the room whenever the singing began — before becoming the earliest English poet whose name survives. Create a third option. Question the scoreboard. Begin before confidence arrives. Elizabeth, Bernard and Cædmon cannot come to work with you tomorrow. Their better ideas can.

Read the briefing