One more thing. I don't like the phrasing of being a jerk. Not everyone who is successful is a jerk. What more successful people have is a drive towards product and operations perfection that trumps everything else. The idea of excellence and the pursuit of it causes leaders to fire people, expect only the best results, and really throw any inefficiency in the trash. It sounds ruthless and it might be, but that is where this jerk persona lives.

That's where I think the being a jerk comes from. I don't think it is something you strive for, but you learn that you have to be strong and correct in the things you do. I think the more a person feels the real pain that comes with failure, the more of a jerk they will become. Some people avoid the risk all together, but they never really end up doing anything great.