Here’s a rare but valuable skill stack for professional creatives:
You’re cool
** but also **
You’re kind
When you’re cool, people want validation and acknowledgment from you. When you’re kind, you give it to them. To be both is a superpower.
When Virgil passed, more than a handful of friends told me stories about personal interactions with him. The stories were never about what Virgil had accomplished; they were always about how encouraging he was. How he made people feel.
He remembered names, he looked people in the eyes and told them they were talented, they were capable, they were going places.
As a talent search firm in the lifestyle space, one of the most mind-blowing discoveries is how generally unkind most people are. It’s expected you’ll have taste, it’s expected you’ll be talented, and it’s expected that you’ll be slightly cold and self-involved.
Whenever a candidate doesn’t nail the interview or get the job, quite often the reason is some form of “he was a bit of a jerk.” Lots of opportunities missed in this way.
Cool + Kind. The former isn’t quite as teachable as the latter. But there are worse things than simply being kind.
