Devil's Advocate, The

Caspian Woods is a successful entrepreneur and author. His business works with the world’s leading financial institutions like HSBC, Santander, Lloyds and RBS, creating imaginative and successful cross-media content for magazines, ezines, apps and websites. He has also worked as a columnist and is a regular in the speaker circuit.

• Leadership1 The only thing you need to be a great leader2 Ask for favours3 Sleep in your car4 Leave stuff half-finished5 This software can kill you6 Forgive, (but don’t forget)7 Ignore urgent tasks8 Be ill informed9 Use guilt to motivateSay less10 11 Wait for the tide to go out12 Ask the bride to dance13 Take fewer risksStrategy14 Don’t diversify15 Stop obsessing about quality16 Embrace awkward suppliers17 Fight like Nelson18 Your next competitor makes toilet paper19 Burn your business plan20 Set unrealistic goals21 Don’t dance where elephants play22 More IT is not the answer23 There’s no prize for predicting the Flood24 Embrace chaos25 Sell invisibles26 Use a lawyer like a condom27 Exploit the poor28 Don’t make it in ChinaInnovation29 Reward failure30 Sacrifice the sacred cow31 You are in the wrong business32 Sleep with your customers33 Judge the book by its cover34 Use research like a drunk uses a lamp-post*35 Come last36 Creativity needs a sergeant major37 Get lost38 Fire, ready, aim39 Seek out your worst customers40 Don’t start from where you are41 Rip-up your confidentiality agreements42 Allow for the law of unintended consequences43 Remember you are French44 Anticipate complaints45 Get stotious46 Ban the brainstorm47 Steal with prideSales and marketing48 Stop making sense49 Don’t give your customers choice50 Learn from the Wizard of Oz51 Don’t ‘do’ social media52 Recommend your competitors53 If you’re pitching to win – you’ve already lost54 Be brief, be brilliant, be gone55 Don’t hire a hot-shot agency56 Put the small print in BIG LETTERS57 Dull is the new sexy58 Make your literature illegible59 Nurture your nutters60 Create a crisis61 Shut up62 Get your face slapped63 It’s only worth advertising on your forehead64 Fake sincerityStaff.65 Pay your staff to quit66 Money doesn’t motivate67 Hire some baboons68 Don’t recruit by experience69 Forget the big idea70 Drive a clunker71 Take your name off the door72 Be a pacifist in the talent war73 Send your staff home74 Don’t delegate – abdicate75 Remove the safety net76 Sack early77 Seek out the disabled78 Encourage trade unions79 Fire the founder80 Cultivate some enemiesFinance81 Pay yourself £1,000 an hour82 Max out your credit cards83 Don’t lend £10,000 to your brother84 Be unaffordable85 Don’t compensate for the size of your manhood86 Say no to cheap money87 Double your costs, halve your reward88 Set fire to your price list89 Treat suppliers like fellow combatantsPersonal.90. Cry as a negotiating technique91. Pile on the stress92. Avoid the passion trap93. Don’t give money to charity94. Stop thinking positive95. Disinherit your kids96. Nurture self-doubt97. Jump off a chair98. Be a psychopath99. Don’t get harpooned100. Be lazy