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834: Dr. Ruth Gotian – Discover the Success Factor


Of course, we’re all curious about what makes people successful, but what if you could learn the four elements that make up the ‘Success Factor?’ How valuable would that be for you? Today, we’re going to explore those four elements in this enlightening interview with Dr. Ruth Gotian. In our conversation, we talk about what Ruth has identified in her research as being the common elements that make high-achieving people so successful. We discuss the importance of ‘emulating mindsets’ rather than ‘copying habits’ to customize mindsets in ways that leverage your unique set of skills and circumstances, and we talk about the importance of transitioning people with high potential into high achievers. Plus, Ruth shares what surprised her most about her findings.


Dr. Ruth Gotian is the Chief Learning Officer and Assistant Professor of Education in Anesthesiology and former founding Assistant Dean of Mentoring and Executive Director of the Mentoring Academy at Weill Cornell Medicine. She has been hailed by the journal Nature and Columbia University as an expert in mentorship and leadership development and was recently recognized as one of the top 20 mentors in the world. In 2021, Thinkers50, dubbed the Oscars of management thinking, ranked her the #1 emerging management thinker in the world to bridge theory and practice. She was also a semi-finalist for the Forbes 50 Over 50 list. In addition to publishing in academic journals, she is a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Psychology Today, where she writes about ‘optimizing success.’ Her research is about the mindset and skill set of peak performers, including Nobel laureates, astronauts, and Olympic champions, which she writes about in her book, The Success Factor.


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Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.


Dr. Ruth Gotian, thank you so much for being here!



Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself.

Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.


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Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

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