Useful and Overlooked Skills

The text argues that some useful skills go unnoticed because they are neither pleasant nor flashy. Among them are accepting discomfort when reality requires it, revising one’s own degree of certainty when a lot is at stake, talking respectfully with those who disagree, being brief when speaking, saying “no” with diplomacy, and taking luck and risk seriously when interpreting results.

Reading notes

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• Accepting a certain amount of discomfort and absurdity when the situation requires it is a useful skill, although one that is little valued.
• Those who cannot tolerate small frustrations usually suffer more in everyday life and may project this difficulty onto those around them.
• When what is at stake is high, the need to distrust one’s own reasoning increases, because the desire for something to be true affects what is believed to be true.
• In highly connected environments, dealing with people who disagree without worsening the conflict becomes a central skill.
• One way to talk with someone who disagrees is to begin by recognizing points on which one respects the other person’s judgment.
• Talking to anyone, from any background, for a few minutes has become a competitive advantage.
• Getting straight to the point and using the fewest possible words respects other people’s time.
• A diplomatic “no” needs to be clear about the boundary, but also careful about how it will be received.
• In private investment, saying no with diplomacy is especially important because most opportunities are refused.
• Luck and risk need to be taken seriously because results do not always accurately reflect the decisions made.
• Victories do not automatically prove that the decision was correct, and defeats do not automatically prove that it was wrong.