Indeed I have! And I think I've had some wonderful managers in charge of me, too. They only make the Peter Principle even more obvious to me. You can tell leaders from managers very quickly. And leaders are ALWAYS necessary. When I mention George Orwell's example of how an army may work when authority is questioned and when the leadership must be earned, not imposed, it is because I don't think hierarchies are the only way of organising groups of people. Anarchy doesn't mean chaos, but this is all too often ignored. In any case, I didn't mean the article as an affront to those who beg to differ or as a manager's manual– far be it from me! Rather, it is an honest and humble reflection on something we tend to take for granted. Nothing more, nothing less. That said, thank you for the extremely thoughtful response! I love a good disagreement. :)