The very last sentence of the last footnote caught my eye:- (via Hacker News)Oddly enough, the best VCs tend to be the least VC-like.
I suspect that rather than being odd this is nearly tautological for any profession -- "the best X tend to be the least X-like". Professional stereotypes are set by the multitudes in the middle, not the highest-performing outliers.
Further, atypical behavior can be both a cause and effect of excellence. Being 'different' helps them be 'better', but also by being 'better' they gain freedom and confidence to deviate from norms.
(Of course, "the worst X tend to be not very X-like" is also true. But they're more likely to at least try to emulate the average X.)
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Professional Stereotypes and High Performers
In response to Paul Graham's essay A Fund Raising Survival Guide, Gordon Mohr has posted a fascinating insight in the comments:
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