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You are not talented at your job. You never will be. But wait: That’s the good news—because talent, argues Geoff Colvin, doesn’t exist in the first place—at least not in the traditional sense of the word. It is not, he points out, an innate ability. The sooner you realize that Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and you were not meant to be great business leaders, the likelier you are to become a great business leader. Too many of us have been deluded by the promise that talent leads to great success, says Colvin, Fortune’s senior editor at large and former co-anchor of PBS’s Wall Street Week. In his new book, he debunks conventional thinking and explains why Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else (Portfolio). Colvin, 55, spoke from his New York office about the meaning—and meaninglessness—of talent and why you probably won’t get anywhere at work or in life until you acknowledge your lack of it.

A conversation with Dan Ariely.

Having moved from political prisoner to cognitive scientist to Chilean senator, this uncompromising philosopher of communication is now educating business leaders for the world of social media.

Although even the highest levels of uncertainty don’t prevent businesses from analyzing predicaments rationally, says author Hugh Courtney, the financial crisis has shown us the limits of our tools—and minds.

Editor's Note: quite topical, but still an interesting read...

Scenario planning and social change expert Adam Kahane suggests that to master large and difficult challenges, leaders need to learn to act and empathize simultaneously.

INSEAD’s expert on leadership development clarifies how self-awareness can break the destructive pattern of corporate narcissism.

The behavioral economist explains why executives need to recognize—and embrace—the irrational forces that affect themselves and their employees.