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Wisdom by Peter

Peter

14 pieces of wisdom

In every hierarchy, whether it be government or business, each employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence; every post tends to be filled by an employee incompetent to execute its duties.

Peter PrinciplePrinciple

Incompetence knows no barriers of time or place.

First Corollary to Peter PrincipleCorollary

Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.

Second Corollary to Peter PrincipleCorollary

If at first you don't succeed, try something else.

Third Corollary to Peter PrincipleCorollary

Internal consistency is valued more highly than efficiency.

Peter's InversionInversion

Competence always contains the seed of incompetence.

Peter's Law of EvolutionLaw

Look after the molehills and the mountains will look after themselves.

Peter's Law of SubstitutionLaw

Super-competence is more objectionable than incompetence.

Peter's ObservationObservation

Employees in a hierarchy do not really object to incompetence in their colleagues.

Peter's ParadoxParadox

Each of us is a mixture of good qualities and some (perhaps) not-so-good qualities. In considering our fellow people we should remember their good qualities and realize that their faults only prove that they are, after all, human. We should refrain from making harsh judgments of people just because they happen to be dirty, rotten, no-good sons-of-bitches.

Peter's Perfect People PalliativePalliative

An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance.

Peter's PlaceboPlacebo

Spend sufficient time in confirming the need and the need will disappear.

Peter's PrognosisPrognosis

Create the impression that you have already reached your level of incompetence.

Peter's Rule for Creative IncompetenceRule

Incompetence plus incompetence equals incompetence.

Peter's TheoremTheorem