In the spaghetti-marshmallow experiment, kindergartners beat CEOs because they iterate—try, fail, try again—while executives plan the perfect structure and watch it collapse at the last moment.
“Kindergartners will beat a group of five CEOs on a regular basis… the young kids are iterating, they’re just trying stuff out.”
But add one administrative assistant to the CEO team and they outperform everyone. The connector changes everything. This reveals two principles: iteration (connecting with reality through experimentation) beats planning for perfection, and connection between people amplifies capability.
This applies everywhere: in sales, connecting with customers beats perfecting pitches. In products, selling before building means you connect with what people actually want. In creativity, shipping rough drafts and iterating beats waiting for the masterpiece.
Related Concepts
- Perfectionism is the critical parent’s voice
- Discovery, not improvement
- Busyness is not productivity