LEADERSHIP LIBRARY

IN BRIEF

This book has a bit of everything. Eric Barker reviews and synthesizes many academic studies about the factors that lead to success. It is an interesting read, but there is no single argument or theory.  The core premise is: “Much of what we’ve been told about the qualities that lead to achievement is logical, earnest—and downright wrong.”

Key Concepts

Pick the right pond

“If you’re more of an outsider, an artist, an unfiltered leader, you’ll be climbing uphill if you try to succeed by complying with a rigid, formal structure. By dampening your intensifiers, you’ll be not only at odds with who you are but also denying your key advantages.” (p. 27)

Be a humble learner

“Confidence makes it very hard for us to learn and improve. When we think we know all the answers, we stop looking for them.” (p. 191)

Find meaningful work, and work hard at it…

“Meaningful work means doing something that’s (a) important to you and (b) something you’re good at. Plenty of research shows that if you do those things you’re uniquely good at (psychologists call them ‘signature strengths’), they’re some of the biggest happiness-boosting activities of all.” (p. 210)

...but don’t work until exhaustion

“Productivity declines so steeply after fifty-five hours that “someone who puts in seventy hours produces nothing more with those extra fifteen hours.” All they are creating is stress.” (p. 226)

Define success for yourself

“You need a personal definition of success. Looking around you to see if you’re succeeding is no longer a realistic option. Trying to be a relative success compared to others is dangerous.” (p. 239)

Four metrics that matter most

1. “HAPPINESS: having feelings of pleasure or contentment in and about your life

2. ACHIEVEMENT: achieving accomplishments that compare favorably against similar goals others have strived for         

3. SIGNIFICANCE: having a positive impact on people you care about

4. LEGACY: establishing your values or accomplishments in ways that help others find future success” (p. 241)

Quotables

“...schools reward being a generalist. There is little recognition of student passion or expertise. The real world, however, does the reverse.” (pp. 9-10)

“Creators exhibit more psychopathology than average persons, but less than true psychotics. They seem to possess just the right amount of weirdness.” (p. 20)

“Pfeffer says we need to stop thinking the world is fair. He puts it bluntly: The lesson from cases of people both keeping and losing their jobs is that as long as you keep your boss or bosses happy, performance really does not matter that much and, by contrast, if you upset them, performance won’t save you.” (p. 34)

“A Navy study revealed a number of things that people with grit do—often unknowingly—that keep them going when things get hard. One of them comes up in the psychological research again and again: ‘positive self-talk.’” (p. 67)

“Résumé values are the things that bring external success, like money and promotions. Eulogy values are about character: Am I kind, trustworthy, or courageous? ...You’re always thinking about them. But to serve your longer-term career and life, you need to be forward-thinking about eulogy values too.” (p. 76)

“Fate is that thing we cannot avoid. It comes for us despite how we try to run from it. Destiny, on the other hand, is the thing we must chase, what we must bring to fruition.” (p. 79)

So instead of merely focusing on intentions, make sure that in your day-to-day actions you are being the main character in your perfect story. (p. 80)

“As Harvard professor Teresa Amabile found, ‘Our research inside companies revealed that the best way to motivate people, day in and day out, is by facilitating progress—even small wins.’ In fact, the data shows that consistent small wins are even better at producing happiness than occasionally bagging an elephant: ‘Life satisfaction is 22 percent more likely for those with a steady stream of minor accomplishments than those who express interest only in major accomplishments.’” (p. 93)

“Studying over a thousand subjects, Wiseman found that lucky people maximize opportunities. The study showed they are more open to new experiences, more extroverted, and less neurotic. They listen to their hunches. Most of all, Wiseman says, lucky people just try stuff.” (p. 102)

“But when I spoke to Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, I asked him what was the number-one mistake people made when trying to get ahead at the office. His answer? Opting out of the social dynamics of the company. Saying ‘Yeah, I know relationships help you get ahead but I refuse to play that game.’” (p. 148)

“Research from the U.S. Navy shows that esteemed leaders are democratic and have solid listening skills. The only time crews wanted a leader to make decisions without consulting people was during times of crisis (just like pirates).” (p. 194)

“Frank Barron, a renowned professor at UC Santa Cruz, said, ‘Voluminous productivity is the rule and not the exception among the individuals who have made some noteworthy contributions.’” (p. 208)

“Researchers Cary Cherniss and David Kranz found that burnout was ‘virtually absent in monasteries, Montessori schools, and religious care centers where people consider their work as a calling rather than merely a job.’” (p. 220)

“A study from the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies found that ‘workplace fun was a stronger predictor of applicant attraction than compensation and opportunities for advancement.’” (p. 224)

“Study after study shows that creativity comes from being relaxed, not stressed and overworked.”  (p. 226)

Warren Buffett: “I always worry about people who say, ‘I’m going to do this for ten years; I really don’t like it very well. And then I’ll do this . . .’ That’s a lot like saving sex up for your old age. Not a very good idea.” (pp. 241-2)

“As Howard Stevenson and Laura Nash write about their study of successful people who struggled for balance: When you align your values with the employment of your signature skills in a context that reinforces these same strengths, you create a powerful and emotionally engaging force for achievement, significance, happiness, and legacy. When your internal choice of success goals aligns with the group in which you operate, the rewards are even higher.” (p. 263)