5 ms·

Chamath Palihapitiya of Social Capital on the Paradox of Ego and Humility

43 points by astdb 9y ago

karmakaze 9y ago
> ...combination of ego and humility. Let’s be honest, a lot of C.E.O.s are ego-driven people. But they also have to be humble in some very precise ways around ideas and decisions, and being able to change their mind. That’s an idiosyncratic combination. That sums up what I consider to be a good CEO in addition to being good at motivating people.
- filereaper 9y ago
  Arrogance is what gets you started, humility is what takes you to completion.
  - justinjlynn 9y ago
    Well, arrogance is what gets you started, yes; however, if I may, it's the ability to hide it while maintaining one's own goals, and not the ability to be humble, that takes you to completion. Otherwise one gets distracted by what others want or how others feel; in a sense CEOs that can generate strong reality distortion fields, as it has been put, tend to be extremely successful in spite of market conditions. I would imagine that it's a fine line to walk.
    - uoaei 9y ago
      Humility is the opposite of arrogance, but that doesn't mean you don't have a fixed vision of your goals and will stick to your guns to achieve them. It just means you don't try to show everyone just how good you are at achieving them.
uptownfunk 9y ago
I’ve read many articles like these but I think ultimately... it’s luck. I can work hard, but it’s luck. Right place, right time. And then if/when someone finally gets there they can pontificate all they like about how successful they are and how they know what it takes to get there, when in reality, almost everyone who is actually there knows it’s mostly luck (and hard work, but mostly luck) that got them there. In college I stopped comparing myself to the guys who set the class curve and asked if i gave it my absolute best effort and suddenly I was much happier, and doing better as well.
- owebmaster 9y ago
  Luck is when you don't know the reason. The reason actually might be ugly, not luck.
  - vikiomega9 9y ago
    It's useful to identify such things as luck because we really can't orchestrate those moments by sheer will. To identify a reason is the first step towards controlling the circumstance but for the average situation I'd wager it's hard to do so.
- hnsometimeswew 9y ago
  I wholeheartedly agree. I would be considered successful for my age but a lot of it is pure luck. To be born in the correct environment, to meet the right people, etc. People need to work hard in order to use the opportunities they are given, but getting opportunities (especially if you are not of the ruling class) is not guaranteed.
- matchagaucho 9y ago
  It's true many companies and people will revise history upon achieving success for marketing and branding purposes. However, that doesn't diminish the series of steps taken to stay in the game and get a look at the "big pot". "The more I practice, the luckier I get."
- j_s 9y ago
  There is a balance requiring both hard work and luck. I believe it was Louis Pasteur who said "fortune favors the prepared mind" in the mid-19th century. Jason Roberts of TechZing captured this idea with the catchy phrase "luck surface area", explaining that both doing & telling combine to multiply opportunities. http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surface-area http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surf... > In other words, you make your own luck.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- 9y ago
khazhou 9y ago
He has good and true advice: If you approach challenges with tenacity, always be curious to learn, and be open and thoughtful with your team, you too can be an early employee at the next FB and become a billionaire.
- aaron-lebo 9y ago
  If you are a worthless idea guy, have lots of money, or know the right people, you too can be an early employee at the next FB and become a billionaire. Woo another billionaire! Just what society needs. If you approach challenges with tenacity, always be curious to learn, and be open and thoughtful with your team, you too can do something that actually matters. Don't mean to be rude, but being a billionaire is a boring goal with no value in and of itself.
  - vikiomega9 9y ago
    > Don't mean to be rude, but being a billionaire is a boring goal with no value in and of itself. Are you a billionaire?
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - aaron-lebo 9y ago
      Do you need to break your leg to know that would be painful? Do you need to be a billionaire to have an opinion on billionaires or be aware of human behavior? Really rich people aren't a new thing. What's inherently valuable about being a billionaire? What values and standards does the end goal of being a billionaire tend to produce in people?
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - PacifyFish 9y ago
        The point of the comment you are responding to is that there is indeed inherent value to being a billionaire, for the person who is a billionaire. "Are you a billionaire?" --> if you were a billionaire I imagine you would be pretty stoked.

43 points by astdb 9y ago

> ...combination of ego and humility. Let’s be honest, a lot of C.E.O.s are ego-driven people. But they also have to be humble in some very precise ways around ideas and decisions, and being able to change their mind. That’s an idiosyncratic combination. That sums up what I consider to be a good CEO in addition to being good at motivating people.

filereaper 9y ago
Arrogance is what gets you started, humility is what takes you to completion.
- justinjlynn 9y ago
  Well, arrogance is what gets you started, yes; however, if I may, it's the ability to hide it while maintaining one's own goals, and not the ability to be humble, that takes you to completion. Otherwise one gets distracted by what others want or how others feel; in a sense CEOs that can generate strong reality distortion fields, as it has been put, tend to be extremely successful in spite of market conditions. I would imagine that it's a fine line to walk.
  - uoaei 9y ago
    Humility is the opposite of arrogance, but that doesn't mean you don't have a fixed vision of your goals and will stick to your guns to achieve them. It just means you don't try to show everyone just how good you are at achieving them.

uptownfunk 9y ago

I’ve read many articles like these but I think ultimately... it’s luck. I can work hard, but it’s luck. Right place, right time. And then if/when someone finally gets there they can pontificate all they like about how successful they are and how they know what it takes to get there, when in reality, almost everyone who is actually there knows it’s mostly luck (and hard work, but mostly luck) that got them there. In college I stopped comparing myself to the guys who set the class curve and asked if i gave it my absolute best effort and suddenly I was much happier, and doing better as well.

owebmaster 9y ago
Luck is when you don't know the reason. The reason actually might be ugly, not luck.
- vikiomega9 9y ago
  It's useful to identify such things as luck because we really can't orchestrate those moments by sheer will. To identify a reason is the first step towards controlling the circumstance but for the average situation I'd wager it's hard to do so.
hnsometimeswew 9y ago
I wholeheartedly agree. I would be considered successful for my age but a lot of it is pure luck. To be born in the correct environment, to meet the right people, etc. People need to work hard in order to use the opportunities they are given, but getting opportunities (especially if you are not of the ruling class) is not guaranteed.
matchagaucho 9y ago
It's true many companies and people will revise history upon achieving success for marketing and branding purposes. However, that doesn't diminish the series of steps taken to stay in the game and get a look at the "big pot". "The more I practice, the luckier I get."
j_s 9y ago
There is a balance requiring both hard work and luck. I believe it was Louis Pasteur who said "fortune favors the prepared mind" in the mid-19th century. Jason Roberts of TechZing captured this idea with the catchy phrase "luck surface area", explaining that both doing & telling combine to multiply opportunities. http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surface-area http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surf... > In other words, you make your own luck.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
9y ago

khazhou 9y ago

He has good and true advice: If you approach challenges with tenacity, always be curious to learn, and be open and thoughtful with your team, you too can be an early employee at the next FB and become a billionaire.

aaron-lebo 9y ago
If you are a worthless idea guy, have lots of money, or know the right people, you too can be an early employee at the next FB and become a billionaire. Woo another billionaire! Just what society needs. If you approach challenges with tenacity, always be curious to learn, and be open and thoughtful with your team, you too can do something that actually matters. Don't mean to be rude, but being a billionaire is a boring goal with no value in and of itself.
- vikiomega9 9y ago
  > Don't mean to be rude, but being a billionaire is a boring goal with no value in and of itself. Are you a billionaire?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - aaron-lebo 9y ago
    Do you need to break your leg to know that would be painful? Do you need to be a billionaire to have an opinion on billionaires or be aware of human behavior? Really rich people aren't a new thing. What's inherently valuable about being a billionaire? What values and standards does the end goal of being a billionaire tend to produce in people?
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - PacifyFish 9y ago
      The point of the comment you are responding to is that there is indeed inherent value to being a billionaire, for the person who is a billionaire. "Are you a billionaire?" --> if you were a billionaire I imagine you would be pretty stoked.