It’s high time that we questioned many of the management myths and truisms that we bandy about so glibly. How much of our present mess is due to constant repetition of ideas about management that have not been explored or challenged as they should?

Short-term gains may be had only at the expense of long-term value. Though there may be times when such a decision makes sense, writes Nina Simosko, long-term viability is a far greater accomplishment than a short-term flash, however bright, followed by an inevitable fizzle into future darkness.

Don’t draw problems to yourself by behaving exactly like the jerks whose actions you dislike. “Do unto others as you would they should do unto you” maybe an antique sentiment couched in antique English, but that doesn’t make it out-of-date.

Peter Vajda muses on the tendency to want to pay people back for the hurt you believe you have suffered at their hands. Does it truly make you feel better? What will the other people do to pay you back for your vengeance on them? Is revenge really sweet?

Competition in business isn’t always the best way to encourage individual or team excellence, let alone the only one. Management myths like this contain an element of truth, somewhere, and only become dangerous when they’re treated as self-evident.

John Fletcher reflects on the value of the lived experience and the wisdom that should come with age; and notes that it was the failure of so-called senior managers in banks and similar institutions to show either of these that is the root cause of our current mess.

Sometimes you have to go against your instincts to pursue actions or behaviors that don’t feel “normal.” Yet doing so can lead to expedited results, improved outcomes, and more cost-effective solutions, says Nina Simosko.