Having taken aim last time at those consummate professionals called consultants, I have attempted to balance my position here with some hack advice on how to hire dynamic people. Yes, I mean those highly skilled individuals who will drive your business forward, and keep your workplace interesting at all times – even as they drive you round the bend and, left unchecked, your business into the ground.

You can scour their CVs, check the references, conduct panel interviews and appoint selection committees. You can even do handwriting analysis (or a polygraph if you are hiring an accountant, a consultant or a journalist).