The kindest thing is someone betting on you before you deserve it
After 500 interviews, one answer kept coming up: someone saw promise before there was proof.
David Senra · My Conversation With Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Founder of Colossus & Positive Sum | David SenraPatrick O'Shaughnessy, the founder of the investment media company Colossus, ends every interview the same way. He asks his guest, what is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Someone gathered about 500 of those answers, sorted them into categories, and made a pie chart. About two-thirds of the answers fell into the same slice.
According to that tally, the most common answer was that some person bet on the guest before the guest deserved it. That person saw something in the guest that the guest may not yet have seen in themselves.
Questions people ask
Is there research on why being believed in early matters so much?
Yes. Psychologists call one version the Pygmalion effect, where higher expectations lead to better performance. When a teacher, boss, or mentor expects more from someone, they tend to give more attention and opportunity, and the person often rises to meet it.
What is Colossus?
Colossus is a media company founded by Patrick O'Shaughnessy that publishes investing and business podcasts and writing. Its best known show is Invest Like the Best, which features long interviews with investors, founders, and thinkers.