Two salespeople have equal track records. One wants to close the sale at any cost, whether or not the product and the customer are right for each other. The other actually believes in what she’s selling and wants to help customers make good decisions, even if that means occasionally recommending a different product all together. From which of the two would you rather buy?
Two civic leaders with the same level of experience are running for mayor of your town. One cares about being electable and says what he thinks the voters want to hear. The other actually cares about the issues and genuinely wants to make the town a better place for its residents. Which one do you vote for?
A basketball coach has one spot left on the team and two players of equal ability from which to choose. One is primarily concerned with how much playing time she’ll get and how many points she can score per game. The other just wants to do whatever she can to help the team win, whether that’s averaging nine assists per game or being the loudest supporter on the bench. Which do you think gets picked?
Now, the college admissions version…
Two applicants are equally impressive on paper. One was obsessive about her GPA and had her mother argue with a Spanish teacher to get a grade raised. She cared more about how many community service hours she could list on her application than she did about whether or not she actually helped anyone. Then she wrote her college essay claiming that her volunteer work taught her the importance of serving others—she thought that would sound good to the admissions committee. The other applicant genuinely likes to learn. Her teacher letters of recommendation mention how insightful her questions and contributions are in class. She gushes when she talks about her volunteer work training guide dogs for the blind and wrote her essay about watching her first trainee, a German Shepherd named Toby, graduate and be paired with his grateful new owner.
Which one do you think gets picked?