I have secrets. So do you. So does everyone else. This is one of the many things human beings do — we hide stuff from other people. But why do we do this? Are we afraid of intimacy? Are we ashamed of our past? And perhaps more importantly, what does all that secrecy cost us? These are questions a new book tries to answer. It’s called The Secret Life of Secretsand the author is Michael Slepian, a psychologist at Columbia University. He’s spent a decade studying secrets and has a lot to say about what they are and what motivates…

From alligators to hippos to pythons, Earth's animals aren't always the most peaceful, especially wild ones. Ourworldindata.org says humans have identified over two million animal species; yet, there are an estimated five to 10 million species, including those undiscovered, on the planet. According to a study from Utah State University's Department of Wildland Resources, "over 47,000 people annually in the United States sought medical attention after being attacked or bitten by wildlife." What's the one animal that outranks all others in terms of danger, and what should you do if you come across it? What is the most dangerous animal…

Matthew Bremner On an early summer’s day in 2000, Manuel Ramírez was hosting a dinner at his home in Tepexpan, a dusty mining town near Mexico City. Family and friends had come to meet his month-old son. Guests reclined in wicker armchairs, drinks in hand, and fawned over the newborn. At around 8.30pm, several men burst into the house. They claimed to be police officers but produced no identification or warrant, and gave no reason for the intrusion. They crowded into the front room waving guns and spouting threats. One man knocked Ramírez’s Dobermann unconscious. “Who is Manuel Ramírez? Where…

The late Ghanaian economist and scholar George Ayittey distinguished between Africa’s ‘hippo’ and ‘cheetah’ generations and advocated for the latter. Because the cheetah is one of the most agile animals and features among the most successful hunters, it’s an appropriate analogy for business leaders on a culturally diverse continent. Ayittey described the cheetah generation as opportunistic, fast and agile. In the continent’s multicultural melting pot, a fundamental component for effective leadership and organisational success is cultural agility. The inevitability of diversity Because of globalisation and the technology that helps drive it, business leaders worldwide have increasingly been confronted by the…