File This Under: Do You Have What It Takes to Succeed?
I would like to believe this Economist article only applys to Britain, but from what I’ve seen, it might apply here, too.
According to a British study, mean men make more money, even if they’re neurotic, and mean, unneurotic women make more money than their agreeable counterparts. Apparently being agreeable is the kiss of death, but the ability to adapt to new situations is highly valued. Also, being extroverted has no effect whatsoever on your career.
Working in Hollywood, I’m always a little surprised by how many A-List stars are bad radio interviews. And of course I (contractually) can’t name names, but I’ve noticed a trend of people getting to the top of the chart who are either a) boring, b) a little mean or c) hard to land interviews with (ergo not very agreeable). Seriously, only two or three of 2008 #1’s didn’t fall into that category. I’ve also noticed that C-list and less talented A-Listers tend to be way more extroverted.
Now the good news for shy and somewhat harsh people like myself is that you don’t have to worry about people liking you to get ahead. However, it saddens me that good qualities aren’t monetarily rewarded and that you often can’t be the same nice person that you are in real life at work.
So the next time you’re left wondering why your boss is a dick, now you know. Read the sad but unsurprising article here.
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Interesting. I am not that surprised by the mean versus agreeable thing. Though I do not consider myself to be "disagreeable" or "mean" on a regular basis, I can be when necessary and I am not one of those people that needs to be liked by everyone. So when things need to get done and someone needs to crack the whip, I can do that. When tough decisions need to be made that are not going to make a lot of people happy, I can make them. I think it is more about adapting to what the situation calls for them being mean versus agreeable and I think being able to adapt is critical regardless of the field your in.
What does surprise me is the extrovert thing. Being an extrovert myself, I have always felt like it has played a significant role in my success. And Ernessa, more than 10 years into our friendship and I still laugh when you claim to be an introvert…..an introverted extrovert maybe.
Interesting. I am not that surprised by the mean versus agreeable thing. Though I do not consider myself to be "disagreeable" or "mean" on a regular basis, I can be when necessary and I am not one of those people that needs to be liked by everyone. So when things need to get done and someone needs to crack the whip, I can do that. When tough decisions need to be made that are not going to make a lot of people happy, I can make them. I think it is more about adapting to what the situation calls for them being mean versus agreeable and I think being able to adapt is critical regardless of the field your in.
What does surprise me is the extrovert thing. Being an extrovert myself, I have always felt like it has played a significant role in my success. And Ernessa, more than 10 years into our friendship and I still laugh when you claim to be an introvert…..an introverted extrovert maybe.