“Why is it so often that the best people are stuck in the middle and the people who are running things—the leaders—are the mediocrities? Because excellence isn’t usually what gets you up the greasy pole. What gets you up is a talent for maneuvering. Kissing up to the people above you, kicking down to the people below you. Pleasing your teachers, pleasing your superiors, picking a powerful mentor and riding his coattails until it’s time to stab him in the back. Jumping through hoops. Getting along by going along.”
The American Scholar: Solitude and Leadership - William Deresiewicz
This quote is from a lecture delivered at West Point that isn’t as cynical as you may expect.
See also his recent presentation at Portland/CreativeMornings
