MIT – “the nicest of geniuses” – explaining

MIT – “the nicest of geniuses” – knowing the world

As I am always fascinated by the cultural manifestations of a group, I was interested to see how MIT’s Sloan School of Business had (or had not) altered in the 19 years since I had worked there. On my third day back at MIT, there was a group lunch in the open space near the door to our unit. In the middle of seven people eating and talking, a student walked in and everyone became silent, instantly attuned to someone in need of help. Oh, I thought to myself, 19 years and the culture has not changed one whit.

For other people, the hallmark of MIT might be the academic brilliance, but during my previous 5 years working at MIT and what I see now, is that MIT has done an amazing job of hiring people with the same “helpfulness gene.” I think this is an aspect of a person’s personality that is instinctive irrespective of background, gender, age or culture of origin. It’s bred in the bone; you either have it or you don’t.

“Instinctive” is the key word as a lot of people don’t automatically respond to a person in need of assistance with, “What can I do?”

Some people live their lives like they are ordering coffee in a cafe: I want a large, half-caf, triple shot, half soy, half almond milk, extra hot, extra foam, sugar-free caramel syrup latte. And I want it now. Hurry Up. And those types of people sometimes have a hard time understanding MIT employees.

I watched a fascinating discussion in which a person interrupted a clearly busy MIT employee who was sitting at a table in an open space. The person pestered the employee with a series of silly questions for over 20 minutes. The MIT employee stayed patient, helpful and pleasant and as the person got up to leave, they asked, “How can I incentivize you to continue to sit here, instead of hiding in your office?” Meaning, they wanted the MIT employee to stay out in the public area where they could be easily bothered.

The MIT employee said, “I choose to sit out here, knowing people might need help.”

The person looked shocked. The employee was deliberately putting themselves in a situation in which they would be bombarded with questions? It made no sense. But somehow, for decades on end, MIT HR has managed to find and hire people with a similar mindset.

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