That secretary is probably hard funded, makes more money than 75% of the scientists she supported, enjoys vacations, and will have a comfortable retirement.
I've had the chance to work with world class people in three different fields now. Inevitably, the people who were at the very top (World Champions, folk who literally invented (parts of) the Internet, people creating products for a massive fanbase) didn't "want to be the very best". And they were extremely comfortable with other people being smarter, if it happened.
They inevitably got to the top because every day, they wanted to be a bit better than the last day. "The best" never mattered. "Better than yesterday" did. And when they were at the top, they were the most kind and helpful people you can imagine - uplifting others whenever they could.
And they certainly didn't want to be "like no one ever was" - they invariably had a deep appreciation for the ones who came before them, and they copied everything that seemed worth copying.
The people who don't heed that advice, who don't give that advice, who relentlessly claw? Perpetual second tier, without exception.
Yeah, I had a similar sentiment as I read the last sentence: "You're not the best at everything, and you don't have to be."
It really does get harder to internalize this when it starts to involve real, tangible outcomes like money and job security. No one would reasonably argue that what she said wasn't true on some spiritual or personal level, but it feels like a nothing-burger when people are clearly in a competitive environment, a competitive program, a competitive job, etc.
It might feel that way, but I think it's really worth asking : is it?
If I put humility aside for a moment, I'm awfully good in my field, and academia is hyper competitive, and yet I know people who are better at everything that I do -- and just like the secretary in that example, I know some people who I think could do everything that I can better than I do.
But that really is okay, the world has room for all of us and more, and is much better off for having several of us applying our skills and abilities. We are not short on important problems to solve, we are short on solutions and solvers!
