Have we been trained to respect the least likable people - in life & business?

At school, the loud and confident kids were crowned the “cool ones.” We admired them, feared them, or wanted to join their club.

As adults, we know now that louder doesn’t mean more competent. But what if that “cool-kid training” never left us? What if our education system conditioned us to confuse swagger for leadership — a pattern we still play out in our professional lives today, even when we know better?

In this episode, we unpack the misconception of finance-bro swagger as leadership, why unpretentious likability consistently outperforms bluster, and why so many of us still freeze like 12-year-olds when confronted with that familiar, performative confidence. We also explore how to finally start recognizing the informal leaders who build trust, belonging, and team resilience.

🎧 Listen in if you’ve ever caught yourself chasing the wrong kind of “cool.”