My apologies for the delay in responding to this - I go through periods where I simply don't have time for HN :) > My GUESS is that your "frat guy" folks had a

My apologies for the delay in responding to this - I go through periods where I simply don't have time for HN :) > My GUESS is that your "frat guy" folks had a high enough IQ that they could have gotten better grades, but understood that was not the path to the outsized success they wanted. That's exactly my point! To be clear, I didn't mean "frat guy" in a derogatory way at all. I meant it as a shorthand for "people in my social circle who immersed themselves in Greek life." I was on a full scholarship and lived in the honors dorms, so the people in my social circle were uniformly very intelligent and capable people. If you want to optimize for "greatness" - whether that means financial success to you or building something of great value - then being willing to take risks is important. Being able to convince the people around you that the risks are worthwhile and that they should join you is essential.