The War For Talent Is a Myth.

Marketing genius Seth Godin says it’s actually a war for attitude:

…it’s not really a search for talent. It’s a search for attitude. There are a few jobs where straight up skills are all we ask for. Perhaps in the first violinist in a string quartet. But in fact, even there, what actually separates winners from losers isn’t talent, it’s attitude.

What does Harvard tell its MBA students is the number one thing when negotiating salary?

First, they need to like you. That’s the first component. The things you do that make them like you less make it less likely that you are going to get what you want…

Now I’m not saying attitude is everything. There’s experience, education and other factors, of course, but…

…you’d be surprised how little even some of those matter.

Hard working? Meh. Overrated.

Stanford MBA school professor Jeffrey Pfeffer explains the research shows performance is only loosely tied to who gets ahead.