He's not saying all successful people are disagreeable. He's saying that a willingness to be disagreeable is more likely to lead to success.
This happens because people who don't want to offend, who want to be liked, who want to be agreeable, will frequently agree to things they shouldn't and will get stomped at the negotiating table by people who are willing to be disagreeable. Those are the people who say "No, that's not good enough. No deal." and walk away from the table. Then the person who wants to be agreeable says "Wait a minute, what if we do X?" and they give up something they didn't want to just to make the deal.
Or outside of business negotiations they are more likely to sacrifice their principles in the name of compromise rather than stand for what they believe in.
Successful people are often very agreeable, until they come across something that they cannot accept, in which case they disagree, which most people do not do. That is the point that is being made, and it is a very astute and important observation.
It's just a fancy way of saying what Trump has said many times: Be willing to walk away from a bad deal.
As someone who has led many MANY teams of people, hired countless new hires, drawn in so much new talent, fought with CEOs and Leaderships; I would say that being disagreeable is a fantastic trait in the modern world. Almost every single corporate office is filled with sycophants and yes men, people scared to lose their job or be passed over for a future promotion. It's the people who step in and say 'hey what the shit is this??' or 'yeah thats nice, but how about we do this, instead.' With the sheer amount of competition you face in the marketplace of ideas and visions, you absolutely should do everything you can do to stand out and put yourself above others.
That seems like assertiveness more than what people think of when they hear the word "disagreeable". Sounds like it's a matter of thinking that the word means something else.
He's not saying all successful people are disagreeable. He's saying that a willingness to be disagreeable is more likely to lead to success.
This happens because people who don't want to offend, who want to be liked, who want to be agreeable, will frequently agree to things they shouldn't and will get stomped at the negotiating table by people who are willing to be disagreeable. Those are the people who say "No, that's not good enough. No deal." and walk away from the table. Then the person who wants to be agreeable says "Wait a minute, what if we do X?" and they give up something they didn't want to just to make the deal.
Or outside of business negotiations they are more likely to sacrifice their principles in the name of compromise rather than stand for what they believe in.
Successful people are often very agreeable, until they come across something that they cannot accept, in which case they disagree, which most people do not do. That is the point that is being made, and it is a very astute and important observation.
It's just a fancy way of saying what Trump has said many times: Be willing to walk away from a bad deal.
As someone who has led many MANY teams of people, hired countless new hires, drawn in so much new talent, fought with CEOs and Leaderships; I would say that being disagreeable is a fantastic trait in the modern world. Almost every single corporate office is filled with sycophants and yes men, people scared to lose their job or be passed over for a future promotion. It's the people who step in and say 'hey what the shit is this??' or 'yeah thats nice, but how about we do this, instead.' With the sheer amount of competition you face in the marketplace of ideas and visions, you absolutely should do everything you can do to stand out and put yourself above others.
That seems like assertiveness more than what people think of when they hear the word "disagreeable". Sounds like it's a matter of thinking that the word means something else.
Well, I bet it has a nuanced explanation as a personality trait. Just look it up - it's one of the "Big Five" personality traits.