One of the great mysteries of organisational life is how some people, who don’t seem so capable to their peers, just keep getting promoted. A few years ago two staff members were overheard sharing their frustration about their boss as they left a meeting with him, one colleague saying to the other, “Sooner or later, in a moment of madness, someone will promote him.” Let’s add a clue to solving the puzzle of moving up, or down, the pecking order. First let’s go to basic instincts in the animal world.