ABSTRACT
Now well into their 40s, Bill and John came from similar backgrounds. They did equally well in school and on college admission tests, went to the same university where they performed comparably, and embarked on careers in business. However, whereas Bill has been very successful, consistently gaining promotions in a top company, John has been unable to climb the corporate ladder. Given that Bill and John began in so similar a manner, what accounts for their differential success in business? There could be many reasons, among them the possibility that there are skills that are important in business—and perhaps as well in adult life in general—that do not show up in academic exercises such as schoolwork and tests.
