Stuart stood up confidently and addressed the group: "I studied Art History at Yale, worked at Bain for two years, then Morgan Stanley. After finishing my Stanford MBA, I took a banking job at Goldman Sachs."

I'd asked him and a small group of smart individuals to describe their professional achievements. When Stuart sat down, the others followed in much the same pattern, proudly rattling off their personal laundry lists of the prestigious companies they'd worked for and the top-tier universities they'd attended.

Had I left it there, this would have seemed like a collection of well-oiled, talented superstars living comfortably at the top of their professions. But as I delved deeper, I found out that they weren't comfortable at all, and their flashy affiliations were no guarantee that they'd actually accomplish more than anyone else....