Why Meanness Hinders Success: The Strategic Disadvantage of Being Mean
By
insuranceguru
If you only eat one bagel today, this is the bagel.
Summary
The article explores the observation that truly successful people are rarely mean, despite meanness being common in society. The author argues that meanness is a strategic disadvantage because it makes people less effective at achieving their goals. Mean people fail not because they're punished for being mean, but because meanness itself prevents success - it makes people less persuasive, less able to collaborate, and less likely to build the networks and relationships necessary for significant achievement. The piece suggests that success requires qualities like generosity, empathy, and the ability to work well with others.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledIt struck me recently how few of the most successful people I know are mean. There are exceptions, but remarkably few.
Meanness isn't rare. In fact, one of the things the internet has shown us is how mean people can be.
And yet while there are clearly a lot of mean people out there, there are next to none among the most successful people I know.
Mean people fail not because they're punished for being mean, but because meanness itself prevents success.
Success requires qualities like generosity, empathy, and the ability to work well with others.
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