Over the past year, I have interviewed the founders of more than 200 Silicon Valley start-ups. The most common traits I have observed are a passion to change the world and the confidence to defy the odds and succeed.

It is the same in business. In the two companies I founded, I was involved in hiring more than 1,000 workers over the years. I never observed a correlation between the school of graduation or field of study, on one hand, and success in the workplace, on the other. What makes people successful are their motivation, drive and ability to learn from mistakes, and how hard they work.

via Look at the Leaders of Silicon Valley – Room for Debate – NYTimes.com.