[el_nahual]

Lesson it took me far too long to learn about what "the best" is. Bona fides: I'm no titan of industry but I've worked with many, across many industries.

I've seen "the best." I've had what could be considered "life changing" success by most metrics (but irrelevant by SV-billionaire standards).

The lesson:

There are, in general, two groups of people you can work with. People that do what they say they are going to do, and people who don't.

People who don't do what they say they are going to do outnumber those that do by 20-1.

If you surround yourself with the first group, you're going to be ok. If you don't, most of your time and your organization's time will be spent not-doing, not-measuring, and not-advancing.

"The best" really is that simple, and the bar really is that low.

Of course, if you do what you say you're going to do, and you're incredibly smart, and you have vision, and (insert whatever you care for here) then yeah, you'll be the "best of the best"...but those things are legitimately not necessary for success.

[tristor]

This is the most accurate comment in response to this article. I pretty much have discovered exactly the same thing over a more than 20 year career across multiple startups that had successful exits. The absolutely most important traits are accountability, honesty, and willingness to learn, if you have these three traits you will be one of the best people on your team regardless of what you do. I have these traits, and it's been why I've been successful in /many/ different kinds of roles over the years, because I am willing to be honest about what I don't know, listen and learn, and hold myself accountable for both successes and failures, and when I commit to do something I actually do it.

Unfortunately, as you said, this is pretty rare.