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At the welcome reception, John told me it wasn’t the magic that helped me stand out. It was the initiative I’d taken in teaching myself—and the courage I’d shown in doing an impromptu performance for him. It was my first interview—I didn’t know we were just supposed to talk, and it was only after becoming an organizational psychologist that I realized I’d given him a work sample. By sharing what stood out in my interview, John had given me a crash course in the importance of character skills. My success wouldn’t depend on my initial ability. It would depend on my ability and motivation to learn.
Hidden Potential
Adam Grant
The next morning we wired ourselves up. Claude wore the computer and the radio transmitter and would use his big toes to operate switches hidden in his shoes. I wore the radio receiver with the new steel wires going up my neck to the speaker in my right ear canal. As I stood ready to leave for the casino, Claude cocked his head and with an elfish smile asked, “What makes you tick?” Claude was jokingly referring to the strange sounds (actually these were musical tones) he would be sending from the computer he was wearing to my ear canal, once we went into action at the roulette table. As I look back now from the future, seeing myself wired up with our equipment, I stop that moment in time and I think about a deeper meaning to the question of what makes me tick. I was at a point then in life when I could choose between two very different futures. I could roam the world as a professional gambler winning millions per year. Switching between blackjack and roulette, I could spend some of the winnings as perfect camouflage by also betting on other games offering a small casino edge, like craps or baccarat. My other choice was to continue my academic life. The path I would take was determined by my character, namely, What makes me tick? As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Character is destiny.” I unfreeze time and watch us head for the roulette tables.
A Man for All Markets
Edward O. Thorp
Chinese civilization is the experience of the nuclear family writ large, and just as extended families are expected to look after their own survival, China has long felt that it ought to be self‐sufficient.
What's Wrong With China
Paul Midler
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