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Its happened to you countless times: Youre waiting for a website to load, only to see a box with a little mountain range where an image should be. Its the placeholder icon for a missing image. But have you ever wondered why this scene came to be universally adopted? As a scholar of environmental humanities, I pay attention to how symbols of wilderness appear in everyday life. The little mountain iconsometimes with a sun or cloud in the background, other times crossed out or brokenhas become the standard symbol, across digital platforms, to signal something missing or something to come. It appears in all sorts of contexts, and the more you look for this icon, the more youll see it. The icon has various iterations, but all convey the same meaning: An image should be here. [Image: Christopher Schaberg/CC BY-SA] You click on it in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint when you want to add a picture. You can purchase an ironic poster of the icon to put on your wall. The other morning, I even noticed a version of it in my Subarus infotainment display as a stand-in for a radio station logo. So why this particular image of the mountain peaks? And where did it come from? Arriving at the same solution The placeholder icon can be thought of as a form of semiotic convergence, or when a symbol ends up meaning the same thing in a variety of contexts. For example, the magnifying glass is widely understood as search, while the image of a leaf means eco-friendly. Its also related to something called convergent design evolution, or when organisms or cultureseven if they have little or no contactsettle on a similar shape or solution for something. In evolutionary biology, you can see convergent design evolution in bats, birds, and insects, which all utilize wings but developed them in their own ways. Stilt houses emerged in various cultures across the globe as a way to build durable homes along shorelines and riverbanks. More recently, engineers in different parts of the world designed similar airplane fuselages independent of one another. For whatever reason, the little mountain just worked across platforms to evoke open-ended meanings: Early web developers needed a simple shorthand way to present that something else should or could be there. Depending on context, a little mountain might invite a user to insert a picture in a document; it might mean that an image is trying to load, or is being uploaded; or it could mean an image is missing or broken. Down the rabbit hole on a mountain But of the millions of possibilities, why a mountain? In 1994, visual designer Marsh Chamberlain created a graphic featuring three colorful shapes as a stand-in for a missing image or broken link for the web browser Netscape Navigator. The shapes appeared on a piece of paper with a ripped corner. Though the paper with the rip will sometimes now appear with the mountain, it isnt clear when the square, circle, and triangle became a mountain. Two little mountain peaks are used to signal “landscape mode” on many SLR cameras. [Image: Althepal/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY] Users on Stack Exchange, a forum for developers, suggest that the mountain peak icon may trace back to the landscape mode icon on the dials of Japanese SLR cameras. Its the feature that sets the aperture to maximize the depth of field so that both the foreground and background are in focus. The landscape scene modevisible on many digital cameras in the 1990swas generically represented by two mountain peaks, with the idea that the camera user would intuitively know to use this setting outdoors. Another insight emerged from the Stack Exchange discussion: The icon bears a resemblance to the Microsoft XP wallpaper called Bliss. If you had a PC in the years after 2001, you probably recall the rolling green hills with blue sky and wispy clouds. The stock photo was taken by National Geographic photographer Charles ORear. It was then purchased by Bill Gates digital licensing company Corbis in 1998. The empty hillside in this picture became iconic through its adoption by Windows XP as its default desktop wallpaper image. [Image: Microsoft] Mountain riddles Bliss became widely understood as the most generic of generic stock photos, in the same way the placeholder icon became universally understood to mean missing image. And I dont think its a coincidence that they both feature mountains or hills and a sky. Mountains and skies are mysterious and full of possibilities, even if they remain beyond grasp. Consider Japanese artist Hokusais 36 Views of Mount Fuji, which were his series of paintings from the 1830sthe most famous of which is probably The Great Wave off Kanagawa, where a tiny Mount Fuji can be seen in the background. Each painting features the iconic mountain from different perspectives and is full of little details; all possess an ambiance of mystery. I wouldnt be surprised if the landscape icon on those Japanese camera dials emerged as a minimalist reference to Mount Fuji, Japans highest mountain. From some perspectives, Mount Fuji rises behind a smaller incline. And the Japanese photography company Fujifilm even borrowed the namesake of that mountain for their brand. The enticing aesthetics of mountains also reminded me of the environmental writer Gary Snyders 1965 translation of Han Shans Cold Mountain Poems. Han Shanhis name literally means Cold Mountainwas a Chinese Buddhist poet who lived in the late eighth century. Shan translates as mountain and is represented by the Chinese character , which also resembles a mountain. Han Shans poems, which are little riddles themselves, revel in the bewildering aspects of mountains: Cold Mountain is a houseWithout beams or walls.The six doors left and right are openThe hall is a blue sky.The rooms are all vacant and vague.The east wall beats on the west wallAt the center nothing. The mystery is the point I think mountains serve as a universal representation of something unseen and longed forwhether its in a poem or on a sluggish internet browserbecause people can see a mountain and wonder what might be there. The placeholder icon does what mountains have done for millennia, serving as what the environmental philosopher Margret Grebowicz describes as an object of desire. To Grebowicz, mountains exist as places to behold, explore, and sometimes conquer. The placeholder icons inherent ambiguity is baked into its form: Mountains are often regarded as distant, foreboding places. At the same time, the little peaks appear in all sorts of mundane computing circumstances. The icon could even be a curious sign of how humans cant help but be nature-positive, even when on computers or phones. This small icon holds so much, and yet it can also paradoxically mean that there is nothing to see at all. Viewing it this way, an example of semiotic convergence becomes a tiny allegory for digital life writ large: a wilderness of possibilities, with so much just out of reach. Christopher Schaberg is a director of public scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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What does it mean to be smart or dumb? Few questions are more deceptively complex. Most of us have strong opinions about what those words mean, but scratch the surface and it becomes clear that smart and dumb are slippery, subjective constructs. What seems smart to one person may strike another as naive, arrogant, or shortsighted. Worse still, our own perception of whats smart can shift over time. Yesterdays clever decision can look like todays regrettable blunder. Take Jay Gatsby, for instance. His grand plan to reinvent himself, amass a fortune, and win back Daisy once seemed like the height of romantic intelligence; but in the end, it revealed itself as delusional folly, built on illusions as fragile as the dream he chased. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. ","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/drtomas.com\/intro\/","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91424798,"imageMobileId":91424800,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} For a famous path reversal (from allegedly dumb to obviously smart), consider Forrest Gump, whose simple, seemingly naive choices (e.g., running across America or investing in some fruit company) looked foolish to everyone around him. Yet his lack of overthinking and unpretentious sincerity led him to happiness, wealth, and a kind of quiet genius that outsmarted all the so-called smart people. In hindsight, we often discover that our supposed genius was merely luck, and our dumb mistakes were actually learning opportunities in disguise. In short: Being smart isnt a fixed trait; its a moving target defined by outcomes, context, and time. In line with that, we tend to withhold judgment until weve seen enough evidence. After all, anyone can have flashes of brilliance or moments of foolishnesswhat matters is the overall pattern. Thats why we evaluate intelligence not by a single act, but by the consistency of choices and behaviors over time. The science of adaptability Charles Darwin famously noted, It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change. Along the same lines, psychologists (who are often largely footnotes to Darwin) have a relatively simple and more objective way to define smart versus dumb behavior: adaptability. In that sense, what we call “intelligence” is largely the capacity to adjust ones behavior to achieve desired outcomes in a changing environment. In other words, smart behavior increases your chances of success, survival, or well-being. Dumb behavior does the opposite. When faced with different options, the smartness of your choice can be judged by its consequences. If your decision enhances your opportunities, relationships, reputation, or resilience, its smart. If it narrows your prospects or makes your life worse, its dumb. Crucially, this definition also accommodates social consensus. One persons opinion may be biased, but when many independent observers agree that an action was wise (or foolish), that consensus is usually a good proxy for truth. You can fool some people some of the time, but not everyone all the time. IQ vs. EQ: 2 pathways to smart behavior When it comes to predicting whether people will behave intelligently or not, two psychological constructs stand out: IQ and EQ. IQ (intelligence quotient) reflects cognitive abilitythat is, how effectively you learn, reason, and solve abstract problems. Its the single best predictor of performance in well-defined, rule-bound contexts such as school exams, technical analysis, programming, or chess. People with higher IQs tend to make better decisions when the problem has a right answer. EQ (emotional quotient), on the other hand, captures the capacity to understand and manage emotions, both your own and others. It predicts success in less structured, interpersonal domains: leading teams, negotiating, managing conflict, or handling stress. In these fuzzy, ambiguous situations, there are rarely clear right answers, and emotional intelligence helps navigate the gray zones. Both forms of intelligence matter. IQ helps you see patterns; EQ helps you see people. False stereotypes: book-smart vs. street-smart Part of the reason people resist IQ is that they equate it with cold, academic, or impractical intelligence: the book-smart but clueless archetype. Think of high-IQ figures who made disastrous real-world choices: the Enron executives with MBAs from top schools who engineered their own collapse, or Nobel laureates who lost fortunes day-trading because they overestimated their models. Brilliant analysts but poor decision-makers. Conversely, high-EQ individuals (likable, empathetic, persuasive) are often celebrated as street-smart. They can read a room, defuse tension, and influence others. Yet this doesnt mean they always make wise choices either. Importantly, research shows that IQ and EQ are largely uncorrelated. You can be high on both, low on both, or excel in one and lag in the other. Theyre complementary toolslike having both a hammer and a screwdriver. One wont replace the other, but together they let you handle a wider range of problems. Why high-IQ people do dumb things So why do objectively intelligent people sometimes behave foolishly? A few recurring patterns explain it. Overconfidence in reasoning. High-IQ individuals often trust their logic too much, ignoring emotional or contextual cues. This cognitive arrogance leads to blind spots, especially in social or moral dilemmas. Complexification. Smart people can overcomplicate simple problems, mistaking verbosity or abstraction for insight. They build intricate arguments to justify poor decisions. True intelligence is making complex things simple, rather than vice versa. Confirmation bias. The cleverer you are, the better you become at rationalizing your mistakes. Intelligence amplifies self-deception when ego is at stake. Too often, smart people are more interested in lubricating their egos than in making the right decisiontheir desire to feel smart may surpass their appetite for getting to the solution of a problem. Risk illusion. Intelligent people often feel they can outsmart uncertainty, taking reckless bets (financial, professional, or personal) under the illusion of control. In particular, when intelligence combines with narcissistic tendencies, it may lead to intellectual underperformance at the expense of grandiosity. Narrow optimization. They focus on optimizing a specific variable (e.g., efficiency, profit, prestige) while ignoring broader consequences. A smart business strategy that erodes trust or well-being isnt smart in the long run. In short, high IQ can make you better at justifying dumb ideas, as well as defending your arguments and actions against others, leading to the smartest person in the room syndrome. When emotional intelligence backfires EQ provides no immunity against stupidity either. In fact, its virtues can become liabilities when taken too far. Empathy surplus. Being too attuned to others emotions can make you overly accommodating or reluctant to deliver hard truths. Agreeableness overdrive. High-EQ people often avoid conflict, even when confrontation is necessary to prevent bigger problems later. And people who focus on avoiding conflict end up causing a great deal of conflict in the long run. Emotional manipulation. The dark side of EQ is Machiavellian charm, using emotional awareness to manipulate rather than connect. Compassion fatigue. Caring too much can lead to burnout, especially in leadership or caregiving roles. In any job or organization, especially in competitive settings, if you optimize for getting along, you will impair peoples appetite for getting ahead. Emotional suppression. Some emotionally mature individuals regulate so well that they disconnect from their authentic feelings, losing spontaneity and creativity. In essence, EQ without boundaries can make you a nice foolliked by everyone, exploited by many. The meta-skill: coachability and learning If IQ and EQ help you make smart choices, what helps you stay smart? The answer is coachability, the willingness and ability to learn from mistakes. This meta-skill distinguishes the chronically dumb from the progressively smart. Everyone makes errors; only the adaptable learn from them. Here are five evidence-based ways to improve your decision-making intelligence. Seek feedback relentlessly. Smart people solicit criticism before failure makes it unavoidable. The goal isnt to be right; its to actually get better (evolve, develop, grow, etc.). Distinguish process from outcome. A good decision can lead to a bad result, and vice versa. Evaluate how you decided, not just what happened. Question your certainties. Treat your beliefs as hypotheses to test, not truths to defend. Balance emotion and logic. Before major decisions, ask: Am I thinking clearly and feeling right about this? IQ and EQ can actually work together to improve outcomes, but you will need to manage this tension and turn them into allies. Study your own patterns. Keep a decision diary, record choices, predictions, and outcomes . . . or at least reflect, get feedback, assess, and recalibrate. Over time, youll see which biases or emotions trip you up. In short, the smartest people arent those who never err; theyre the ones who systematize their learning from errors. What ultimately separates wisdom from folly isnt intellect or emotion alone, but the capacity to adaptto learn, recalibrate, and improve. As author and Harvard professor Amy Edmondson compellingly illustrates: In the end, smartness is less about having the right answers and more about asking better questions after youve been wrong. The truly intelligent person is not the one who avoids dumb mistakes, but the one who refuses to repeat them. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-16X9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/tcp-photo-syndey-1x1-2.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic","dek":"Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. 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The most enduring leaders arent the ones with flawless résumés. Theyre the ones whove been tested, humbled, and reshaped by failure. From an early age, I trained intensively to become a professional ballet dancer. Ballet wasnt just a passion. It was my identity, my future, my entire world. Until an audition in Vienna changed everything. A sudden injury ended the career I had spent years building. That moment could have marked the end of my story. Instead, it became the beginning of a new one. I pivoted into finance and marketing, building a career at American Express and Amazon. Today, I advise boards and CEOs on succession, governance, and talent strategy at Egon Zehnder, one of the worlds preeminent global leadership advisory firms. One truth has stayed with me throughout this journey. Setbacks arent detours. Theyre gifts. And if you havent failed in a meaningful way, you may not be ready to lead yet. Setbacks clarify what matters When things dont go as planned, its a moment that forces reflection. Perhaps youve been passed over for a promotion, convinced you were the most qualified candidate. Or the product you thought would set a new sales record didnt perform as well as expected, and customers were underwhelmed. Suddenly, you start asking different questions. Are you communicating your impact clearly? Have you built strong sponsorship? Are you recognized as a leader or just as someone who executes well? Can you pivot quickly and creatively based on changing circumstances? Failure shakes our sense of certainty and exposes how fragile our narratives about ourselves can be. It reminds us that success isnt always linear, and performance doesnt speak for itself. These moments are hard, but they also teach us the difference between doing good work and being seen as ready to lead. Resilience isnt built in moments of triumph. Its forged by challenges Mary Barra, now CEO of General Motors, rose through engineering and manufacturing at a time when few women held those roles. Her experience proved essential in 2014, when GM faced a major crisis over ignition-switch failures. Barra didnt deflect blame. She addressed Congress directly, took responsibility, and began reshaping the companys culture. That could have been a defining failure. Instead, it became a defining moment. Barras story is a reminder that leadership isnt about never being questioned. Its about responding to challenges with clarity, consistency, and a willingness to grow. Ultimately, resilience is built in the quiet, difficult moments when no one is cheering you on. Conviction without listening is arrogance Jeff Bezos once said Amazon succeeds by being stubborn on vision, flexible on details. That mindset helps explain how even a product like the Fire Phone, a commercial failure, still served a strategic purpose. Rather than doubling down on a misfire, Amazon listened to customer feedback, learned from the experience, and used those insights to develop Alexa. The distinction matters: Conviction without listening is arrogance. But conviction that adapts based on what customers are telling you? Thats leadership. Passion, unfortunately, doesnt replace market truth. Tenacity can easily turn into tunnel vision. As leaders, our job is not just to have ideas. Its to make sure those ideas matter to someone else. If were not listeningto our teams, to our customers, to the world around usthen were building in a vacuum. Ideas only matter if others believe in them In my work advising CEOs and boards, I meet leaders with really good ideas who struggle to influence others. They know what needs to be done, but they cant bring people along. Thats not a strategic problem. Its a leadership problem. Influence starts with empathy. The ability to see what others value, where they hesitate, and how to connect with them. Often, that empathy is forged through failure. When leaders fall short, theyre forced to see blind spots, hear hard truths, and confront the real impact of their decisions. Consider Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. After early stumbles in Microsofts mobile strategy, he leaned into a more collaborative, learning-oriented culture that valued listening over ego. That shift helped him rebuild trust internally and reposition Microsoft as a more agile, empathetic company. Nadellas story is a powerful reminder that failure isnt just a test of resilience. Its a chance to become the kind of leader others actually want to follow. Failure builds humanity. And humanity builds leadership Many of todays most respected leaders have careers marked by public missteps and personal reinventions. In the process, theyve developed resilience and deeper empathythe foundations of strong leadership. Because setbacks dont just humble you, they humanize you. And leadership without humanity doesnt last. Ballet is still a part of me. I attend performances. Some of my closest friends are dancers and choreographers. In a twist of lifes full circle, I now have a daughter who is already a more talented dancer than I ever was. Watching her on stage reminds me that what I once thought was the end of my story was really the beginning of hers. Thats the unexpected gift of setbacks. They dont just close doors. They open better ones. But only if youre willing to walk through them without the armor of perfection. Your best chapter may begin in your hardest moment As I advise CEOs and boards navigating complexity, I see a clear pattern. The most effective leaders are the ones whove been tested by hardship and hold their conviction while remaining open to challenge. Theyre the ones who understand that every stumble is an opportunity to rethink, reframe, and reemerge more strongly. In a world of relentless disruption, we need leaders who can metabolize failure into progress. We need leaders who understand that credibility isnt built on being right all the time, but on how you respond when youre wrong. So if youre facing a setback, dont rush to move past it. It could very well be the greatest gift you receive on your leadership journey. Embrace it, learn from it, and let it remake you. Because the story you planned might not be the story youre meant to live. And your best chapter may be the one that begins right after your biggest setback.
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