What leaders can learn from how Julius Caesar won followers and managed rivals

Paul Vanderbroeck | 27 Oct 2025

One of the secrets to Julius Caesar's success was the way that he developed and marketed a personal brand based on values and delivering on these values.

Cyber security and the psychology of risk

Alexei Hnatiwis

Real cyber-security resilience demands far more than just ticking boxes. It requires reshaping fundamental behaviours, language and assumptions around risk.

What young graduates want in a manager

Geneviève Houriet Segard

Why do some young graduates thrive from day one at work while others struggle to settle in? The answer often comes down to one key figure in the office: their manager.

The significant other: redefining modern leadership families

Amy Speake

A male leader with a stay-at-home wife is seen as normal. But if the situation is reversed, it's still seen as unusual. This outdated imbalance needs to be called out.

Let's use AI to save the workforce, not replace it

Robin Adda

AI doesn't always have to be a job-destroying villain. Used responsibly, it can be a powerful driver of up-skilling and a vehicle for improving the future of work

Build, buy, borrow, bot: tackling the talent crisis

Ciara Harrington

Organisations will only stay competitive if they replace outdated workforce strategies with models that are dynamic, inclusive, and future-ready.

How AI can help prevent burnout in leaders

Dr Lisa Turner

There's a quiet revolution happening in how AI supports human growth. It's not just about faster answers. It's about deeper alignment and smarter guidance.

From the archive

Morale: a moving target

Duane Dike

What we think we know about morale is probably wrong, especially the black and white notion that morale is either 'good' or 'bad'. Like most human feelings, morale is a moving target, which is why being sensitive to its nuances is such a key skill for leaders.

Wayne Turmel

10 new workplace survival skills

Wayne Turmel

A new report has suggested 10 skills we'll all need to thrive in the workplace of 2020. But I'd argue that we are going to need them much, much sooner than that.

Wayne Turmel

Eight different ways to work as one

Wayne Turmel

There's more to collaborative working than meets the eye. In fact as a new book explores, there are many different types of team, each of which demand different techniques for pulling together and – crucially – different personality types if they are to function properly.

Robert Heller

The Five Drivers model shows the way forward

Robert Heller

The Great Crunch has shown that the cult of the CEO, hierarchical management structures and an obsession with short-term results are all inimical to efforts to achieve superior results. What we need are entirely new management drivers.

David Thompson

The danger and pleasure in being yourself

David Thompson

Do you bring yourself to work every morning or does the real you stay at home? Many of us try to be the person we think we ought to be at work rather than who we really are. But suppressing our personality also means ignoring our their natural gifts.

Earlier opinion

Legal thinking belongs at the management table

Sarah Clark

Legal thinking should be a core part of effective management. Treating it as an afterthought or a clean-up operation is when things unravel.

Pay vs benefits: What really matters to employees?

Ian Nicholas

Do employees still prioritise pay, or are other benefits are now playing an equally important role in shaping job satisfaction and loyalty?

The case for connection: reclaiming the human side of work

Sonya Alexander

As artificial intelligence redefines the workplace, we risk losing touch with the very interactions that underpin effective teams and resilient organisations.

Why leaders should trust their intuition

Lynda Shaw

Leaders who balance their gut feelings with analytical thinking make faster, more authentic decisions, especially when navigating complexity in fast-paced environments.

Why neurodivergent leaders are still made to feel like outsiders

Michelle Carson

It's about time that organisations start addressing the structural realities that continue to marginalise neurodivergent professionals in the workplace.

Balancing the corporate gender tightrope

Megan Seibel

Gender inequality remains entrenched on corporate boards. So is a better understanding cognitive diversity the answer to getting more women in the boardroom?

How fractional leadership reduces executive burnout

Sara Daw

As ever-increasing pressures make traditional full-time executive roles psychologically unsustainable, the structure of leadership needs a significant rethink.

Remote work under scrutiny

Konstantin Joergensen

Across the EU and beyond, labour laws are evolving to reflect the emergence of flexible working. Here’s what HR leaders must know as regulations tighten.

How to have hope amid political chaos

David Livermore

Amid chaos and dysfunction, it's worth remembering that most people, most of the time, are inclined toward fairness, cooperation and kindness.

Breaking the silence: supporting men's mental health in the workplace

Nathan Shearman

Managers can play a pivotal role in supporting male employees' mental health by creating safe spaces, recognising masking behaviours and promoting vulnerability.

Long-distance leadership: letting go and leaning in

Wayne Turmel

Leading a remote or hybrid team requires a different mindset than you may have had if everyone was all together in the same physical space.

Has traditional team building had its day?

Zoe Carter-Owen

UK companies spend around £200 million annually on company away days and team-building activities. But does this investment really enhance productivity or collaboration?