From Pedigree to Power: Charting Paths to Leadership with Gautam Mukunda
Gautam Mukunda is an internationally recognized author, academic, consultant, venture capitalist, and pundit, specializing in leadership and innovation. He leverages his extensive experience and insights from being among the elite to help others gain access to these prestigious circles.
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Gautam Mukunda believes that a leader's potential impact can be predicted by examining their past experiences. His mission is to help people make better choices when selecting leaders, whether for the presidency, a CEO position, or the head of a local community board.
In his book “Indispensable,” Gautam introduces his Leader Filtration Process, a concept that inspired my own exploration of the different routes a person can take to make an impact.
According to Gautam, a "filtered" leader is someone who has extensive experience within a system, rising through the ranks and becoming homogenized by that system. He clarifies that filtered leaders are not necessarily bad; they are likely to meet expectations and maintain the status quo.
Gautam uses Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric (GE), as an example. GE was already known for its efficiencies and processes; Gautam believes that, if the GE board had chosen a different CEO, that candidate would have been similarly successful, as the pool of final candidates was filtered and homogenized.
On the other hand, an "unfiltered" candidate would be someone from outside the organization, potentially even from an outside industry. These leaders can drive significant change but come with higher risks. Their unconventional backgrounds mean the potential for great success is matched by the potential for great failure.
"To be a high-impact leader, you have to be different from normal leaders, willing and able to do what others would not," Gautam noted.
"The problem with doing things that no one else would do is that most of the time, there’s a reason no one else would do it. If it works, you’re a genius. If it doesn’t, you’re a fool. But most people aren’t geniuses. So when a leader decides to do something no one else would do, the odds usually aren’t in their favor," Gautam illustrated.
"When it comes to being a high-impact leader, uniqueness is a double-edged sword. It can skyrocket you to legendary status—or doom you to infamy," he added.
Acquiring Power and Influence
Gautam's insights on leadership led me to the broader question of how leaders acquire power and influence to get in the running for top-tier positions.
When I asked Gautam about his authority and how he earned it, he credited his expertise.
Gautam has published two books, written numerous articles for widely-recognized outlets like Forbes, hosts a podcast in partnership with Nasdaq, is a professor at Yale, and previously taught at Harvard.
As for his education and early career experiences, those include going to Harvard for undergrad, working at McKinsey, earning a PhD from MIT, and receiving a Soros fellowship - which Gautam jokingly said gave him "more pedigree than a Westminster Kennel contestant."
But why should the 99% who didn't follow an elite path understand or care how he gained his power?
It's crucial to recognize that expertise, backed by tangible accomplishments, is a fundamental aspect of power, and while degrees from top-tier universities are one route, they're not the only route.
To acquire power, you need to build your expertise over time with specialization, dedication, and demonstration through tangible proof.
For example, I often recommend creating a 'body of work,' such as a book, a proprietary framework, or a series of articles or videos to demonstrate expertise and build a public platform.
Something interesting in our conversation was when Gautam mentioned that people usually introduce him by saying something like, "Gautam is a professor at Yale," or "he used to teach at Harvard." To me, this signified that people were indirectly saying: this guy is smart, accomplished, and vetted.
To build your own power and influence, aim for people to introduce you as someone who has published, created, or accomplished something. This positions you above others who are simply introduced as working on or interested in something.
However, expertise and recognition alone are not enough. Building and leveraging relationships is equally crucial in gaining access to impact-making opportunities.
Building Relationships by Providing Value
"Every job I've ever gotten has come through my network. Without exception." Gautam stated.
He got a job at McKinsey because a friend of his convinced them to give him an interview. Gautam was later recruited to Harvard Business School because a friend recommended him, and that friend was someone another friend had recommended he connect with.
I was delighted to hear Gautam's assertiveness on this topic since my work is based on the idea that building relationships is the key to advancing in your career, and providing value to others is the secret sauce.
When I asked Gautam to further elaborate on how to build relationships he gave an insightful response.
"Expertise is what gets you in the room, but once you're in the room, the elite are very protective because they know everybody wants something from them. They're not going to help you because they think you're smart. Everyone they know is smart! They have to like you, and there's got to be a reason for that."
While there are infinite networking tips that we could dive into here, I'll instead share a story that Gautam recalled as an example of how he learned to build influence.
As an undergrad at Harvard, he recognized there were no community building initiatives for the students. Instead of approaching the professors and explaining how community events would be a benefit for the students, he told the professors they would enjoy teaching more if the students were more engaged with school in general.
This value-led approach where he highlighted the benefits for the professors worked, and the department adopted his proposal for student community-building initiatives.
Further explaining his value-first approach, he talked about what sets apart a great consultant from a mediocre one.
"The standard thing I tell students going into consulting is that they have to remember none of the consulting work they do is for their benefit. They are not better off because the client did what they recommended. The client is the one better off as a result. What that means is they have to truly understand what the client wants."
Gautam stressed that while being smart helps, the real force multiplier is the ability to provide value by understanding the problem at hand and having empathy.
The Problem With Pedigree
While building relationships by providing value is essential, it is also important to understand the challenges posed by the homogeneity within elite organizations and systems. Gautam's critical analysis of these structures reveals the limitations that pedigree can impose.
For instance, in academia, Gautam commented that “100% of the [decision-making] power is in the hands of the tenured faculty.” Given their long standing experience, they likely share similar experiences and perspectives, leaving little room for fresh ideas or approaches.
In venture capital (VC), Gautam shared that many VCs don't accept cold pitches from entrepreneurs looking for funding and prefer a warm introduction. They argue that if an entrepreneur can't reach them or find a connection who can reach them, they won't survive as an entrepreneur. However, those who are most likely to reach the VCs often resemble the VCs themselves in appearance or background.
Gautam argues that this focus on pedigree in our society results in homogenization and reduces the opportunity for someone to introduce unconventional ideas or take risks.
He pointed out, "If you look at how venture works, you succeed by making investments that no one else would have made. It's the counterintuitive bets that cause venture capital to succeed, so you want people from unconventional paths."
While critiquing this system, Gautam also shared how he actively challenges it - by leveraging his position to usher others into these elite circles.
He explained, "One of the reasons I maintain a large public presence is so that if you want to talk to a fund, and get a warm intro, I could be the guy to provide that for you." He continues, "Personally, I can be annoying to any firm I work with, saying ‘hey we should really think about this.’" He even joked that he had a skill for being annoying to push for change, adding that he tries to do as much as he can to be a vessel into elite networks for people who wouldn’t normally have access.
Experience as Expertise
Gautam's critique of the focus on pedigree underscores the importance of diverse experiences in leadership.
His Leader Filtration Process illustrates two different paths to making an impact: filtered leaders, who share similar backgrounds and expertise, and unfiltered leaders, who bring diverse experiences and unique perspectives.
If expertise is a requirement for leadership, then experience is the variable path to achieving it.
For example, Bianca Tylek is a leading prison reform advocate but was previously an attorney and worked on Wall Street. General David Petraeus built his reputation as a military leader before transitioning to national security, academia, and now risk mitigation for global investments.
Career paths don't have to be non-linear, but to get to the top you need to put in the work, become specialized, and have something to show for it.
One question I ask all leaders I interview is what they believe is the primary reason for their ability to influence others effectively. For Gautam, he said it was his expertise, followed closely by clear communication.
He pointed out that other things like charisma are only effective if you have the fundamentals. Gautam noted, “while having charisma is appealing, you still need to communicate effectively. Having accolades is a nice bonus, but you first need to be an expert to earn them."
Regarding the ability to make a long-term impact, similar to what Gautam assesses in his Leadership Filtration Process, he says: "If you're very good at what you do, it actually makes it easier to take an innovative or creative approach. It's very hard to do those things if you don't actually understand the basics of what you're doing. You are much more likely to break the rules and succeed if you have learned the rules first."
Want to see Gautam in action?
Read his book Picking Presidents and Indispensable
Listen to his World Reimagined Podcast, in partnership with Nasdaq
Follow Gautam on X (formerly Twitter) at @GMukunda
References
Mukunda, G. (2020, July 1). Churchill the failure? The paradoxical truth about the best and worst leaders. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/gautammukunda/2020/07/01/churchill-the-failure-the-paradoxical-truth-about-the-best-and-worst-leaders/