RΦΧΔS

People who do extraordinary work are often anti-charismatic; they don’t talk to strangers, struggle in social settings and usually prefer to be alone. We interviewed one CEO who hid in a stairwell for an hour at his own launch party because the chit-chat was unbearable, and engineers who would wear headphones with nothing playing to minimise contact time. There was also a senior researcher who would take 6 flights of stairs rather than the elevator to avoid conversations with colleagues. This group spent most of their lives being told to be more friendly, sociable and present, but a person that finds small talk difficult has a mind that is likely focused on bigger problems to solve. Society tries so hard to teach brilliant people to be normal that it risks losing the quirks that made them brilliant in the first place.