Agency-Talent 2x2 & More

Today’s high-signal drops:

• Makes-You-Think Tweet: On communism
• Mind-Expanding Concept: Agency v Talent 2×2
• Cool Quote: Regulatory capture
• High-Signal Content: Don’t trust, verify

Makes-You-Think Tweet

Mind-Expanding Concept

Agency v Talent 2×2

High agency is the ability to find a way. The ability to get things done, despite challenging conditions, often through creative ways. It’s a way of being that can be trained and made it to the short list of things that I want to teach my 2-month-old daughter as she grows up.

Shreyas Doshi (@shreyas) has paired high agency with talent in a framework to evaluate people when hiring and building teams. Would you rather hire a go-getter or a frustrated genius? He argues that in doubt, go with the go-getter. Go-getters can sometimes become game-changers with time.

The most interesting bunch for me is the “Frustrated Geniuses”. I’ve worked with a bunch. Smart folks who went to top schools, often trained in large corporations, and know all the industry jargon. They also tend to overanalyze and don’t push things forward with vigor. There’s always an extra consideration to be taken into account or an elaborate description of the conditions that prevented them from getting something done. Their case is interesting to me because they have it all… on paper. They have the brands. They’re strong in interviews. They are the safe choice. But for some reason, they lack the will to go through a wall of bricks to make things happen. They don’t want to get their feet wet because execution is not “intellectual” or “cerebral” enough. I’m with Shreyas, I’d rather go with go-getters. High agency is much rarer than intellect.

Cool Quote

High-Signal Content

The case for not trusting, anything or anyone.

See you next week,

Filipe