The Losers can be conscious of their position and understand the value going both ways, which I don’t think is so bad. On the other hand, the poor Clueless putting more into the company than they’ll ever get out of it… tough. Lastly, I really liked the bolded portion on Sociopaths: “They never lower their masks. In fact they are their masks. There is nothing beneath”. I often find myself wondering to what extent this is true for some people I know. It’s interesting to think about just how different people’s mentalities / ways of thinking can be, even people from seemingly similar backgrounds (something I really started thinking about when I got to college)
The diagram of the triangle reminds me of a comment I read decades ago, made by the CEO of a multinational corporation, the name of which I have forgotten.
The comment was that, as he arose in the organizational pyramid, the pressures from above never seemed to diminish. Finally he reached the top of the pyramid; but instead of the pressure ceasing, it seemed as if the pyramid had turned upside down and the entire weight of the pyramid was on him.
So perhaps dedicated 'losers' can make it to the top, but it is an arduous path with no rest at the top. Good if the climbing itself is enjoyable.
The gist is that for many a way to move up is first to move laterally.
It is interesting that those who benefit the least from moving laterally are those who have the highest level of education. Maybe because there are fewer spaces laterally that can use that high level of specialization.
Love Venkatesh Rao - this is one of my all time fave internet essays: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/08/17/the-premium-mediocre-life-of-maya-millennial/
The Losers can be conscious of their position and understand the value going both ways, which I don’t think is so bad. On the other hand, the poor Clueless putting more into the company than they’ll ever get out of it… tough. Lastly, I really liked the bolded portion on Sociopaths: “They never lower their masks. In fact they are their masks. There is nothing beneath”. I often find myself wondering to what extent this is true for some people I know. It’s interesting to think about just how different people’s mentalities / ways of thinking can be, even people from seemingly similar backgrounds (something I really started thinking about when I got to college)
The diagram of the triangle reminds me of a comment I read decades ago, made by the CEO of a multinational corporation, the name of which I have forgotten.
The comment was that, as he arose in the organizational pyramid, the pressures from above never seemed to diminish. Finally he reached the top of the pyramid; but instead of the pressure ceasing, it seemed as if the pyramid had turned upside down and the entire weight of the pyramid was on him.
So perhaps dedicated 'losers' can make it to the top, but it is an arduous path with no rest at the top. Good if the climbing itself is enjoyable.
Tangentially related:
I saw a reference in the Economist to this article:
https://academic.oup.com/jleo/article-abstract/36/1/1/5555463
The gist is that for many a way to move up is first to move laterally.
It is interesting that those who benefit the least from moving laterally are those who have the highest level of education. Maybe because there are fewer spaces laterally that can use that high level of specialization.