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Be Wary of Imitating High-Status People Who Can Afford to Countersignal

robkhenderson.com · 1,752 words · saved by 3 readers

A few years ago, shortly after receiving admission to grad school, I asked a professor at a top university how to be a successful graduate student. He replied, “I finished grad school thirty years ago, so I’m probably not the best person to ask. You should ask current grad students who are close to finishing, or people recently who finished their PhD.” Two years later, I asked a bestselling author with a million Twitter followers and a highly popular newsletter about his strategies regarding online writing and social media. He replied, “I’ll tell you what I did when I was in your situation, not what I’m doing now.” He explained that in the early days, he posted a lot and wrote a lot and sought and responded to feedback to cultivate a readership. By the time of our conversation, though, he was less active online. After building a foundation, he engaged less frequently with his audience and directed his attention to more time-consuming writing projects. High-fidelity imitation is unique

Share Give a gift subscription Humans are high-fidelity imitators. We are especially likely to seek advice from and imitate those who have done well for themselves. A few years ago, shortly after receiving admission to grad school, I asked a professor at a top university how to be a successful graduate student. He replied, “I finished grad school thirty years ago, so I’m probably not the best person to ask. You should ask current grad students who are close to finishing, or people recently who finished their PhD.” Two years later, I asked a bestselling author with a million Twitter…

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