As an investor, over time, you form, break, and reform mental models that serve or hinder you.
One of my favorites — when looking at two opportunities that are approximately equal in benefits, choose the one that doesn’t “look the part.”
An anti-bias bias of sorts.
If you’re a Taleb fan, you’re likely familiar with the concept of “Surgeons Should Not Look Like Surgeons” in his book Skin in the Game – where Taleb adamantly chooses the butcher-esque, gruff character over the classical surgeon with “gentle hands”.
But – why choose the outsider? How is this an asymmetric opportunity?
The one who doesn’t fit the mold, conditional of having some success in their career, had much more to overcome in terms of perception.
After all, “reality is blind to looks.”
Agree?
