I’ve never had a past boss tell me to cut the Gordian knot before. If you have heard that from your manager you not only have a boss who sounds weird but you also have the misfortune of having someone who expects the impossible from you. Chances are, he wants you to solve an extremely difficult problem quickly and decisively. He also probably wants you to be just like Alexander the Great, someone most of us will never be like even if we spent our entire lives trying to copy him.

Legend has it that when Alexander entered the city of Gordion, he was faced with a chariot or cart that was tied with an intricate knot. It was prophesied that whoever could untie the knot would become a great ruler or conqueror. Without so much as a knit brow, Alexander unsheathed his sword and cut the knot in half. That either proved that there was some truth to the prophecy or that the people of Gordion were poor puzzle makers who didn’t think out of the box.

These days though, organizational problems would hardly call for cutting the Gordian knot. Try doing that and you could end up with a mob of employees ranting and raving over corporate tyranny.

Fact or Fiction?
Again, the authenticity of this dramatic, hard to believe incident is disputed.