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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Eric Barker
When are our weaknesses actually strengths? Is it better to be an outlier with both handicaps and superpowers? Or do we live better lives at the middle
Food for thought
There’s an old Swedish expression that says most kids are dandelions but a few are orchids.
Psychologists call it the “differential susceptibility hypothesis.” The same genes that lead to bad stuff can actually lead to great stuff in a different situation.
“When your head is in a refrigerator and your feet on a burner, the average temperature is okay. I am always cautious about averages.”
“feedback analysis.” Quite simply, when you undertake a project, write down what you expect to happen, then later note the result. Over time you’ll see what you do well and what you don’t.
You were successful because you happened to be in an environment where your biases and predispositions and talents and abilities all happened to align neatly with those things that would produce success in that environment.
When you choose your pond wisely, you can best leverage your type, your signature strengths, and your context to create tremendous value. This is what makes for a great career, but such self-knowledge can create value wherever you choose to apply it.
The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates,
“An-arrgh-chy: The Law and Economics of Pirate Organization,”
When you take a job take a long look at the people you’re going to be working with—because the odds are you’re going to become like them; they are not going to become like you. You can’t change them. If it doesn’t fit who you are, it’s not going to work.
Cheating is infectious, as shown by Dan Ariely’s study “Contagion and Differentiation in Unethical Behavior: The Effect of One Bad Apple on the Barrel.” When you see your peers cheat, you’re more likely to cheat.
Studies show that your boss has a much larger effect on your happiness and success than the company at large.
