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Introduction
In school or in the professional world, you may have received a lot of advice. Some people say that you should get good grades and never quit while others say that you should be nice to people and not finish last at all costs. But do these myths about success really lead to high achievement?
Eric Barker looked at scientific research and consulted with experts to figure out what it takes to be successful. He discovered that success is not a result of following one set of rules, but of finding your strengths, choosing the right goals, and figuring out the best context for your ambition.
Playing It Safe
Are successful people the natural outcomes of following rules? Are those who follow the rule book more likely to be successful in life? Do good grades, good behavior and good test scores predict success in adulthood?
Karen Arnold, a researcher at Boston College, studied high school valedictorians and salutatorians to see how well they did in their lives. Most of them led comfortable lives with good grades in college and graduate degrees. They also had successful careers that made them financially secure. However, they didn’t change the world or become famous innovators or visionaries who are geniuses or revolutionaries.
Arnold discovered that following the rules in school doesn’t necessarily lead to success. It merely rewards students who are good at conforming and working hard, but it’s not a sign of intelligence or creativity. Instead, it eliminates both the best and worst students from getting ahead. The subjects in Arnold’s study weren’t struggling financially or professionally, but they also weren’t winning MacArthur “Genius Grants” or Nobel Prizes. Playing it safe insulated them from both abject failure and the highest levels of success.
Success isn’t necessarily based on following the rules. Instead, it’s about aligning your skills with your ambition and the context in which you operate. Michael Phelps is a great example of this principle. He has freakishly large wingspan, making him an excellent swimmer, but he struggles to walk and run normally because his body proportions are out of whack for that activity. But if he tried to be a sprinter rather than a swimmer, he’d fail miserably at that too because his body is not suited for running or sprinting either. His success comes from finding the right context where his skills can shine without being held back by physical limitations.”
In his book, Harvard professor Gautam Mukunda argues that people need to know themselves and their strengths before they can be successful. The first step is self-awareness. Know what you’re good at and which skills are most important for your career path. Next, find a company or industry that fits your personality and skill set. By aligning yourself with the right environment, you’ll have better luck in achieving your goals.
Nice Guys Finish Last
Are hard work and fair play really the ways to success? Or is it better to break rules and get ahead in life? Does playing by the rules pay off, or does it hold you back from achieving your goals?
Sometimes you can get ahead by cutting corners and bending the rules. Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer’s research shows that employees who are good at impressing their bosses tend to receive better performance reviews, even if they aren’t as good at what they do. UC Berkeley researcher Jennifer Chatman found that flattery works on your boss even if he or she knows it’s insincere.
Cutting corners might initially benefit you, but in the long-term it can be harmful. People who cheat tend to reinforce that behavior by cheating more and others will notice this. Eventually people become focused on office politics instead of actual work which is bad for everyone.
