The “Interesting Person” Archetype and its Role in Corporate Relations

One of the oddities which persistently show up in major corporations above a certain size, and why it persists.

Most wealthy, accomplished people are boring.

This is not a criticism, just an observation.

There is a monomaniacal tunnel-vision focus required to ascend to the top of any endeavor and outcompete your equally-determined industry peers, leaving them little time for hobbies or diversions.

Consider the effort and focus of will it takes to be an Olympic athlete, or becoming an equity Partner at a Blue-Chip law firm (which involve defeating multiple high-IQ Associates who also graduated near the top of the class from the same prestigious law schools they attended, while not appearing brazenly cutthroat enough to inspire the wrath of ones’ peers), or mastering an obscure and demanding sub-discipline within Engineering or Medicine.

Nobody ascends these steep mountains of competence and competitiveness by being “well-balanced” and those who sit atop these impressive feats and command powerful positions earned through decades of focused effort are often un-relatable most other human beings.

When the stakes are sufficiently large, most companies will have on payroll an “interesting person” role to represent them to outsiders/clients/investors. This role is very well-paying by W2 standards ($350k-$600k - sometimes even higher).

The “interesting person” archetype is charming, intelligent, well-traveled and a natural storyteller - and exercises his talents in such a way that he makes others feel smart, clever and brings out their best stories, rather than make them feel boring, less-cosmopolitan, or dumb relative to the “interesting person.”

He’s a social chameleon, capable of trading ribald stories of debauchery with clients who are aficionados of strip clubs and recreational drug use, yet fully capable of spending the next day in the company of Mormon clients - drinking fruit smoothies and discussing the best hiking trails in Salt Lake City.

While his compensation is not directly tied to revenue (the way a conventional commissioned sales executive would be) the “interesting person” is present in sales calls/meetings and his presence gives the client an additional reason to direct millions of dollars of business to his employer, since he is only in their life as a result of the business relationship.

Any client choosing to switch to a competitor means losing access to the firm’s “interesting person.”