Revisiting drivers of success – notes on privilege

In a couple of blog-related email exchanges recently, I found myself referring to this post from many years ago. The graph still says it better than words can. It is always amusing to see the gap between actual drivers of extrinsic success / wealth and attributed drivers. We have a need to believe in romantic stories of hard work and heroic mindset and are painted these pictures in the stories we are told. In reality, however, the biggest driver of extrinsic success / wealth is privilege by a long shot. Luck and mindset matter – but, privilege is the platform on which it is built. Acknowledging the real drivers is the first step to building systems that provide better access to opportunity to those who don’t have it. In a couple of email exchanges recently, I found myself pointing back to this post from 2018. The graph still says it better than words can. Over the years, I’ve come to realize privilege is best understood as what you don’t have to think about. A thought experiment: what…