The life of a self-made man is not always pleasant. Driving hard bargains, dealing with litigation, juggling creditors, making staff redundant, fighting for customers - these are all part of the craft of running your own show. In truth, managing a business in our competitive society can have a brutalising, coarsening influence on your character. It tends to give you a cynical view of humankind. But becoming a father has a healthy, humanising impact, putting all the stress and ambition into perspective.

And so I have found that the favourite small talk in the 21st century among entrepreneurs is not football - thank God - but discussing one's family, as a civilised contrast to all that wealth accumulation. This is the first generation of New Man executives, whose chief hobbies are not golf and drinking but their children. These business leaders can not only close a sale or raise venture capital but they can also change a nappy, baby-sit and talk knowledgably about schools and exams.