Tag: psychology

Wealth and Entrepreneurship (why the rich get richer and why we should help the poor)

by Chris Yeh

The popular belief is that entrepreneurs are “hungry” because they come from modest backgrounds. Here in America, we love a great “rags to riches” story.  Of course, it should be noted that America’s two richest men, Bill Gates (son of a wealthy attorney) and Warren Buffett (son of a stockbroker/Congressman) don’t exactly provide validation for … Continue reading Wealth and Entrepreneurship (why the rich get richer and why we should help the poor)

Don’t Stay Hungry

by Chris Yeh

Entrepreneurs are frequently admonished to “stay hungry.”  These words are almost like scripture, having been cited by Steve Jobs himself in his legendary 2005 Stanford commencement speech. Intuitively, these words seem to be true across a host of domains.  Starving artists of all types feel the curse of the sophomore slump; going from hungry unknown … Continue reading Don’t Stay Hungry

I Am Not My Talent

by Chris Yeh

One of the perils of living in Silicon Valley is the way it encourages us to develop a fixed mindset. Our vocabulary uses the language of traits.  Someone is a “Rockstar Engineer,” or an “A Player.”  Companies like Google scrutinize candidates’ resumes, discarding those who didn’t attend the right universities. Even successful entrepreneurs aren’t exempt.  … Continue reading I Am Not My Talent

Lazy Consistency and Denial

by Chris Yeh

Most of us have the desire to be consistent.  In general, this is a good thing.  Think of how frustrating it is to deal with someone who is always changing his mind.  As just one example, look at how we treat politicians who can be branded as flip-floppers.  “I was for it before I was … Continue reading Lazy Consistency and Denial

The Power of Surprise

by Chris Yeh

Humans love to be surprised (as long as the surprise isn’t a nasty shock). As thinking creatures, our ability to develop an accurate working model of the world depends on our ability to spot the unexpected. Surprise is a great mechanism for rewarding that ability. Wharton conducted a study of viral videos.  They had research … Continue reading The Power of Surprise

You get the job you train others to give you

by Chris Yeh

People have this concept of a Dream Job.   Yet they go about getting their dream job in exactly the wrong way. Most people chase their dream job like the protagonist in a romantic comedy chases their “true love”: A frantic effort to find The One. Yet getting a job doesn’t determine your job. Rather, you … Continue reading You get the job you train others to give you

Why collecting business cards makes sense

by Chris Yeh

Even though I believe that one good conversation beats 100 business cards, collecting cards still has its place. First, while people won’t necessarily remember you after a single encounter, my philosophy is that you need three casual encounters to build familiarity.  Even if a person doesn’t remember you after an initial meeting, it still counts … Continue reading Why collecting business cards makes sense

Network at small events, not big ones

by Chris Yeh

I’m on my way to an VIP advisory board meeting in another city. The annual meeting stretches out over two days–Wednesday evening and all day Thursday–which means that many people won’t get in until Thursday. Networking newbies probably think, “I need to be there on Thursday, when there are more people.”  But I know that … Continue reading Network at small events, not big ones

Happiness Doesn’t Depend on Events

by Chris Yeh

The research finding of the day comes courtesy of Eric Barker and Bakadesuyo: “Ed Diener and Martin Seligman screened over 200 undergraduates for levels of happiness, and compared the upper 10% (the “extremely happy”) with the middle and bottom 10%. Extremely happy students experienced no greater number of objectively positive life events, like doing well on … Continue reading Happiness Doesn’t Depend on Events

Trusting Too Much Is Better Than Trusting Too Little

by Chris Yeh

Here’s a great item from Eric Barker’s Bakadesuyo blog: http://bit.ly/HxinYf “People were asked how much they trust others on a scale of 1 to 10. Income peaked at those who responded with the number 8. Those with the highest levels of trust had incomes 7% lower than the 8′s. Research shows they are more likely … Continue reading Trusting Too Much Is Better Than Trusting Too Little