Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 27, 2014

Daniel Kahneman has claimed the following as his favorite equation: Success = talent + luck. Great success = a little more talent + a lot of luck. Kahneman’s implication is that the difference between moderate and great success is mostly luck, not skill. The degree to which early success causes subsequent success.

Career 8

Career Planning Kahneman Uncertainty 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 9, 2011

Compared with my colleague, I had accomplished so little over such a long career; my two measly books were more like an embarrassment, given his output. Robert Merton was 46 when he won the award. Merton had the office on the other side of my office. Bob Merton was as gracious and supportive as the colleague I mentioned earlier.

Merton 15

Merton Black-Scholes Welch Organizational Behavior 15

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 17, 2012

If you're Apple trying to replace Steve Jobs, for example, you know you're already one of the most successful companies in the world. The sociologist Robert Merton dubbed this "The Matthew Effect," where the rich (in every sense of the word, from money to status to fame) get richer just because advantages beget more advantages.

Company 14

Company Champy Merton Leadership 14

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

Ask them if they apply much else from else from economics in their actual business careers, and you’re likely to hear “not much.”. Two well-known companies have also made auctions famous, and economists have played central roles in the success of each. Here a few notable examples. Many economists since have been hired by the U.S.

Strategy 12

Strategy Black-Scholes Airlines Price 12

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

I was thinking about that story by Thomas Merton during a recent board meeting. Recent market updates, a technical deconstruction of various trends, then product frameworks — all in quick succession. Early on in our careers, we might speak up without concern or context. One board member sighed deeply.

Merton 15

Merton Groupthink CFO Cost 15