“People would rather believe than know.” E.O. Wilson Professor Emeritus, Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University Two-time Pulitzer Prize recipient The quote above popped into my head when reflecting on my exchanges with Kate Hurley, director of the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California at Davis. We met last month at the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators Annual Management Conference in San Diego, where both us were invited to speak. Kate mi

I want to tell you about three similar telephone conversations I had this past month: A surgeon called from another state to ask if I could help his son: “Josh is a recent graduate. He’s a good kid, and very bright, but he just hasn’t been able to identify what he wants to do in life. I think he could benefit from talking to you.” Four partners, heavily invested in a business and active in running it, are struggling with belief differences. It’s a case of “three agains

My clients report that they sometimes make bad hiring decisions for key leadership positions. They tell me their selection processes don’t help them make accurate predictions about who is most likely to work out and who is most likely to fall short. This also frequently happens with potential merger partners. Hiring for a particular competence is easy; finding a leader or partner with maturity and poise who fits your culture presents a higher-magnitude challenge. There’s