From Agile to Radical: triaging external forces

One of the hardest things for us as human beings is to adequately balance focus on our own goals and drivers and the needs, requests and influences of others. We all know people who sail their own course no matter what others ask of them and we know people who are so responsive to others that they have no direction for themselves whatsoever. We tend to like the latter group better but wish they would bring more to the conversation.

In psychology, this is mapped out on the disagreeable versus agreeable axis. Although we all sit on a bell curve, some of us are far out on the disagreeable end, which is associated with some of the very successful entrepreneurs (as well as criminal behavior). Those on the other extreme tend to be more likable, have more friends and have more of a support system around them but also tend to suffer more heavily from anxiety and other mental afflictions.