To deliver for clients asset managers need to be agile

What we can learn from Stoic philosophers

"It's laughable to say: ‘Tell me what to do!' What advice could I possibly give? No, a far better request is, ‘Train my mind to adapt to any circumstance.' In this way, if circumstances take you off script, you won't be desperate for a new prompting."

These words belong to Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher of the first century AD. But they are strikingly relevant to life in a modern, globalised economy. When faced with the irreducible complexity and uncertainty of the world, the Stoics teach us it is better to be adaptable and flexible; or 'agile' in business management speak. From hierarchy to squads Organisations are relearning this ancient wisdom. A recent McKinsey study found agile businesses have a 70% chance of being in the top quartile for organisational health, one of the best indicators of long-term performance. But for ...