The link between personality and success (2021)(economist.com)
economist.com
The link between personality and success (2021)
https://www.economist.com/business/2021/03/18/the-link-between-personality-and-success
57 comments
https://archive.ph/7Esxt
If we put together every study and opinion piece on what makes success and combined them into one genetically modified ideal human it would be like watching a twitching, drooling maniac trying to do everything all at once.
I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through.
It's not purely luck. But I think the only predictor of success, is to be in the game.
I don't think there is success formula for an individual - just that if the termites nest of humanity throws enough bodies at the wall, one will bounce through.
It's not purely luck. But I think the only predictor of success, is to be in the game.
The problem is attributing success to a single individual. Tesla and Amazon have thousands of employees but people only remember Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
Reminds me of "A Worker Reads History" by Bertolt Brecht:
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"Who built the seven gates of Thebes? The books are filled with names of kings. Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone? And Babylon, so many times destroyed. Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima's houses, That city glittering with gold, lived those who built it? In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? Over whom Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song. Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend The night the seas rushed in, The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves.
Young Alexander conquered India. He alone? Caesar beat the Gauls. Was there not even a cook in his army? Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears? Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War. Who triumphed with him?
Each page a victory At whose expense the victory ball? Every ten years a great man, Who paid the piper?
So many particulars. So many questions."
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"Who built the seven gates of Thebes? The books are filled with names of kings. Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone? And Babylon, so many times destroyed. Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima's houses, That city glittering with gold, lived those who built it? In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? Over whom Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song. Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend The night the seas rushed in, The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves.
Young Alexander conquered India. He alone? Caesar beat the Gauls. Was there not even a cook in his army? Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears? Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War. Who triumphed with him?
Each page a victory At whose expense the victory ball? Every ten years a great man, Who paid the piper?
So many particulars. So many questions."
zR4B(1)
Yes. Plus the capital structure massively over emphasises this.
I am definitely not for throwing out the industrial revolution baby with the Victorian capital structure bath water, but looking at the robber barons that crop up with each generation I wonder if there is a different way of allocating capital, decentralised decision making that can more properly / equally reward effort and contribution. Giving almost all the wealth to the financiers does not seem the right approach.
Then again, I wish Warren Buffet ran my pension fund.
I am definitely not for throwing out the industrial revolution baby with the Victorian capital structure bath water, but looking at the robber barons that crop up with each generation I wonder if there is a different way of allocating capital, decentralised decision making that can more properly / equally reward effort and contribution. Giving almost all the wealth to the financiers does not seem the right approach.
Then again, I wish Warren Buffet ran my pension fund.
The issue is that, to some extent, it really is on the leader/icon's shoulders.
Jeff and Elon might not do much now.
But, it was their work at the start to kick things off. That was a difference maker.
Most of the outright evil in the world isn't committed by well known public figures.
It happens in the dark, via anonymous socialites.
Jeff and Elon might not do much now.
But, it was their work at the start to kick things off. That was a difference maker.
Most of the outright evil in the world isn't committed by well known public figures.
It happens in the dark, via anonymous socialites.
The only thing that really works is being at the right place, at the right time, knowing the right people… and/or sheer luck.
I mean all the high-ranking politicians and businesspeople grew up under entirely different circumstances than the average joe.
A bunch of the new tech billionaires had a different path, going through certain US universities at the right time for example.
But nowadays there's also this new community of startups that happen to live in the right location and get the right amount of access to investors.
A bunch of the new tech billionaires had a different path, going through certain US universities at the right time for example.
But nowadays there's also this new community of startups that happen to live in the right location and get the right amount of access to investors.
> The only thing that really works is being at the right place, at the right time, knowing the right people… and/or sheer luck.
I really think it’s this. There’s an almost measurable synergy that occurs when you put yourself out there.
I really think it’s this. There’s an almost measurable synergy that occurs when you put yourself out there.
This I can affirm as well after years of personal study. Some are self-aware and humble, others, well, let them have their little reality distortion field. As long as it doesn’t seep into my “you know back in 1990 when I was alive and sentient there was still the threat of global nuclear war” context of history at any given point in time.
Being tall and having hair also helps quite a bit. I've never known a manager or executive who wasn't tall and with a full head of hair.
Totally true for dudes. I’ve noticed that women in similar roles are often noticeably shorter than average.
It’s funny that the exceptions I can think of really stand out. One sales exec team I worked with consisted of short bald guys with similar names. It stands out a decade later! Even then, their boss was a Ivy League bro with a beard and good hair.
It’s funny that the exceptions I can think of really stand out. One sales exec team I worked with consisted of short bald guys with similar names. It stands out a decade later! Even then, their boss was a Ivy League bro with a beard and good hair.
-- comment reminds me of Roosevelt:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
--
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
--
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
— Winston S. Churchill
"I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It's because of them I'm doing it myself."
― Albert Einstein
From: https://moviewise.substack.com/p/there-is-no-bad-news-there-...
"I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It's because of them I'm doing it myself."
― Albert Einstein
From: https://moviewise.substack.com/p/there-is-no-bad-news-there-...
I did think of saying "in the arena". And Teddy was definitely someone who jumped in the game.
I agree and I think it would be more important to focus on maintaining a baseline of productivity, by helping people to get through life _at all_. We are loosing too many humans on their way through life, more than we loose by not everyone being 100% productive all the time.
There was a study asking men to select the female face they found the most attractive. The researchers then tried to create the ideal female look. However, they just ended up creating something very close to the average of all faces in their database.
The key to success is to know your weaknesses and compensate for them by hiring the right people, combined with a large amount of luck. For example Mark Zuckerberg didn't deliver a marvel of Engineering when he developed what would later become Facebook. He was just there at the right time and place.
The key to success is to know your weaknesses and compensate for them by hiring the right people, combined with a large amount of luck. For example Mark Zuckerberg didn't deliver a marvel of Engineering when he developed what would later become Facebook. He was just there at the right time and place.
> Zuckerberg didn't deliver a marvel of Engineering
Of course not, they made React after all.
Of course not, they made React after all.
Somehow I don't think Zuckerberg wrote the React library all by himself.
Though it is possible that he:
> [knew his] weaknesses and compensate for them by hiring the right people, combined with a large amount of luck.
hired one or two good engineers
Though it is possible that he:
> [knew his] weaknesses and compensate for them by hiring the right people, combined with a large amount of luck.
hired one or two good engineers
You got that backwards, I'm saying React sucks :D
Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, according to the legend, would skip computer science classes to later ace the tests. So, by all accounts, they are brilliant - and driven, but if you look at their background, they are also the people who won the birth lottery.
Bill Gates was an impossible child who was shoved into an ultra-lux boarding school that happened to have a computer. Zuckerberg does not know the life outside of Westchester, Harvard, and his compound in California.
How many brilliant people are out there who have to waste their brilliance on not taking risks? On just making sure they can pay rent?
We all want to go to the Moon, but some people are born in orbit to get a solid head start, and the rest need to overcome gravity first, before they even get a shot.
Bill Gates was an impossible child who was shoved into an ultra-lux boarding school that happened to have a computer. Zuckerberg does not know the life outside of Westchester, Harvard, and his compound in California.
How many brilliant people are out there who have to waste their brilliance on not taking risks? On just making sure they can pay rent?
We all want to go to the Moon, but some people are born in orbit to get a solid head start, and the rest need to overcome gravity first, before they even get a shot.
"But I think the only predictor of success, is to be in the game."
I don't think this is true. In my experience, the most successful people are overwhelmingly good at social skills. Without those you won't be a manager, won't hit the C-suite, won't make the big bucks (with a few exceptions, but even the best engineers have to have the social/comms skills to work in a team or lead a project).
I don't think this is true. In my experience, the most successful people are overwhelmingly good at social skills. Without those you won't be a manager, won't hit the C-suite, won't make the big bucks (with a few exceptions, but even the best engineers have to have the social/comms skills to work in a team or lead a project).
Socialization is absolutely the same?
Do, exactly, what Roosevelt said.
Give 100% of your attention to pulling your socks up.
Most introverts I meet are merely frozen with terror.
They're paralyzed by fear of their weakness.
Most highly successful people, are highly successful because they've worked bloody hard at it. Cocktail parties are a nightmare, sadly it's like going to the gym.
Do, exactly, what Roosevelt said.
Give 100% of your attention to pulling your socks up.
Most introverts I meet are merely frozen with terror.
They're paralyzed by fear of their weakness.
Most highly successful people, are highly successful because they've worked bloody hard at it. Cocktail parties are a nightmare, sadly it's like going to the gym.
I don’t agree with that. I had friends growing up that were extroverts and could enthusiastically engage in small talk from an early age. They didn’t need any practice.
That’s not to say you can’t get better at it. I’m an introvert photographer and I’ve gotten better at socializing over the years, but I’ve also learned to play into my strengths.
That’s not to say you can’t get better at it. I’m an introvert photographer and I’ve gotten better at socializing over the years, but I’ve also learned to play into my strengths.
> But I think the only predictor of success, is to be in the game
Good pitch for the people predisposed to an optimistic worldview, I guess.
Good pitch for the people predisposed to an optimistic worldview, I guess.
I never read these 'how to be successful' articles or studies, whenever i do i always have the same story pop into my head and they always line up with it to a large extent;
Imagine some people on some open landscape, blindfolded and all following the same rules; Pick a direction, step forward, if higher stay and repeat, if lower step back and try again. After a time most people will be stuck on small hills, a very select few will be on mountains.
Ask the people on mountains, how they did it? They give us this inspirational speech which consisted of some variation of "I Picked a direction, stepped forward, if higher I'd stay and repeat, if lower I'd step back and try again" And all the people around hearing this seem motivated to move that much faster, on and off their little mounds.
Imagine some people on some open landscape, blindfolded and all following the same rules; Pick a direction, step forward, if higher stay and repeat, if lower step back and try again. After a time most people will be stuck on small hills, a very select few will be on mountains.
Ask the people on mountains, how they did it? They give us this inspirational speech which consisted of some variation of "I Picked a direction, stepped forward, if higher I'd stay and repeat, if lower I'd step back and try again" And all the people around hearing this seem motivated to move that much faster, on and off their little mounds.
I don't think this is quite fair. Certainly there's a great deal that comes down to the hand you're dealt, but over the course of your life you can move a great distance by your own effort, own decisions, and own attitude.
..just step forward, and if your in a higher place..
I know you think you are saying something different but to me you just sound like a blind guy on a mountain.
I'm not trying to convince people to give up, just don't kill yourself because you are not on top of a mountain, it had very little to do with you.
I know you think you are saying something different but to me you just sound like a blind guy on a mountain.
I'm not trying to convince people to give up, just don't kill yourself because you are not on top of a mountain, it had very little to do with you.
Love it. Gradient descent as socio-economic metaphor.
>[extrovert] children who grow up in more prosperous homes are less likely to face the kind of stressful events that undermine self-confidence.
Is extrovert synonymous with confident or that strongly correlated? Why should an introvert not be confident in themselves and their abilities?
>Extraversion [...] is the state of primarily obtaining gratification from outside oneself.
>Introversion is the state of being predominantly interested in one's own mental self
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion
Is extrovert synonymous with confident or that strongly correlated? Why should an introvert not be confident in themselves and their abilities?
>Extraversion [...] is the state of primarily obtaining gratification from outside oneself.
>Introversion is the state of being predominantly interested in one's own mental self
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion
I wonder if extroverts appear more confident to others and the feedback makes them more confident.
I would assume that extroverts, trying to obtain gratification from outside themselves, boast out with ideas, opinions and the like much more easily than introverts and are thus perceived as more confident. Confident as in "I am confident in myself, hence I say this thing out loud".
An introvert may say that thing out in his/her head and leave it at that, so no perception can be made from outside.
And on the other hand if you're an unconfident extrovert it would also keep you from boasting with ideas out loud. As both of these cases look mostly the same from the outside, and I would speculate it leads this sort of introvert == unconfident general view.
With these devotions, I’d happily pick to be an introvert.
On the fourth paragraph:
> The study also found that the children of professionals were more likely to be extrovert.
I have a hard time grasping who they meant by "professionals", and who they meant to exclude by the implied antonym ("not professionals").
> The study also found that the children of professionals were more likely to be extrovert.
I have a hard time grasping who they meant by "professionals", and who they meant to exclude by the implied antonym ("not professionals").
-- a professional is someone who practices in a profession - historically professionals were lawyers and doctors - the term has been expanded somewhat - typically well educated working in a field that has established and adhered to practises --
lawyers, doctors, and priests, I believe.
See i.e.
> Medieval and early modern tradition recognized only three professions: divinity, medicine, and law,[5][6] which were called the learned professions.[7] A profession is not a trade[8] and not an industry.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession
See i.e.
> Medieval and early modern tradition recognized only three professions: divinity, medicine, and law,[5][6] which were called the learned professions.[7] A profession is not a trade[8] and not an industry.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession
Correct, the term has been diluted. There were only four or five true professions until modern language usage made it generic.
One of the most mind blowing thing I learnt recently is that there is not introvert, extrovert and these kind of traits present within a person. They are equivalent to the typing we use in Computer Science/Mathematics defined by psychologist to study behaviors. As certain objects can fall under multiple type, each individual do not have a type but exhibit certain behavior of so defined type. As a result, it allows psychologist to refine/narrow/evaluate things based on these behaviors. But as a person, we are constantly evolving. Once you dissociate the personality from behavior, it shows how colorful we as individuals are!
I share your opinion. I know few salespeople that are calm and introvert during our private gatherings and actively talk non stop while selling. Like two personalities in one body.
People can be different in different roles. I chatted to a famous comedian who just did a gig. Very outgoing on stage. Very calm / private in person.
Interesting but not entirely convincing link between being introverted or extroverted and self confidence. That probably deserves a little more nuance. Confidence in which ability? I'd like to read more on that.
In my opinion, it's self confidence that other people want to hear what you have to say. Introverts are more likely to wait for others to prompt them or invite them into the conversation whereas extroverts will start talking with the confidence that they have something to add to the conversation.
I wonder if it's similar to this article about the church of interruption. https://sambleckley.com/writing/church-of-interruption.html
I wonder if it's similar to this article about the church of interruption. https://sambleckley.com/writing/church-of-interruption.html
> Introverts are more likely to wait for others to prompt them or invite them into the conversation
I won't pretend to speak for all introverts, but for me it's not at all a matter of waiting for an invitation (why should I ever?), but rather that I need to choose the conversations carefully, because they drain rather than energize me. I have a number of conversations "available" each day before I'm drained and need to recharge by - what makes me an introvert - not interacting with people.
But if the subject at hand is interesting or important enough, I will absolutely partake in the discussion and will absolutely not wait for an invitation. Self confidence has exactly nothing to do with me being an introvert.
I won't pretend to speak for all introverts, but for me it's not at all a matter of waiting for an invitation (why should I ever?), but rather that I need to choose the conversations carefully, because they drain rather than energize me. I have a number of conversations "available" each day before I'm drained and need to recharge by - what makes me an introvert - not interacting with people.
But if the subject at hand is interesting or important enough, I will absolutely partake in the discussion and will absolutely not wait for an invitation. Self confidence has exactly nothing to do with me being an introvert.
I really dislike that link in the article. People lacking self-confidence may be more prone to introversion, but the reverse is false. Introversion is not mostly caused by lack of self-confidence, and it's not something you should "fix", as the article implies.
Of course, extreme cases of introversion (or extroversion) are pathological, but not on the normal scale of things.
Of course, extreme cases of introversion (or extroversion) are pathological, but not on the normal scale of things.
Success... in "business" is what this article covers. By no means the sole measure of "success".
A lot of the principles of team success in business also apply to success in a collaborative music environment. Such as a rock band. I’ve been in both and can safely say the “business” can mean “the business of whatever the heck you’re trying to accomplish” and it kind of works too!
I am an INTJ and ENTJ depending on the day of the test. This makes sense. I’m an only child who is very social as an adult. In fact my career is sort of a hybrid:
As a proposal specialist, I had to master a large skill set of technology and workflows - Office, Adobe, CRM, and print production all on deadlines - but those are able to be controlled, whereas the human element - sales team, SMEs, subconsultants, and other team members - is completely different.
I suppose that’s why in the past 12 months the proposal coordinator / manager / specialist / writer jobs have changed drastically. From 20% remote full time to 60% remote full time jobs. Salary range bumped from $65-80k to $90-115k for same role and years of experience. There is a TON of burnout in this gig, because of the dichotomy of control yet no authority.
Basically though in my experience an INTJ and ENTJ combo is what you need at the top of the leadership pyramid to both do the important work and keep the schedule, and use people skills to inspire or compel contributions. “It’s a &$”@ing tightrope, Spud’
As a proposal specialist, I had to master a large skill set of technology and workflows - Office, Adobe, CRM, and print production all on deadlines - but those are able to be controlled, whereas the human element - sales team, SMEs, subconsultants, and other team members - is completely different.
I suppose that’s why in the past 12 months the proposal coordinator / manager / specialist / writer jobs have changed drastically. From 20% remote full time to 60% remote full time jobs. Salary range bumped from $65-80k to $90-115k for same role and years of experience. There is a TON of burnout in this gig, because of the dichotomy of control yet no authority.
Basically though in my experience an INTJ and ENTJ combo is what you need at the top of the leadership pyramid to both do the important work and keep the schedule, and use people skills to inspire or compel contributions. “It’s a &$”@ing tightrope, Spud’