A CEO claims she can immediately determine how successful you are by how you order coffee

Is there job-related data to be gathered from someone's normal, everyday behaviors? Absolutely. But can you really know about a person's work ethic or actual skill sets based on something as simple as a daily coffee purchase? This CEO certainly has a very strong opinion about it.

Codie Sanchez is a "formidable force" in the world of finance. This New York Times best-selling author took her journalism degree right into the finance market and has made an impressive impact. Investing in various businesses from laundromats to cannabis companies, she's crafted a diverse and successful investment portfolio.

Microphone in a podcast studio.Image via Canva - Photo by yanyong

Codie Sanchez talks about people's everyday habits, which says a lot about their hireability

In a 2023 podcast interview with Chris Williamson, Sanchez spoke about standing behind someone who seems pretty lost at ordering a coffee with a barista. She sets the story up, describing a woman taking a long time to just order a coffee and a muffin. Her personal belief is that seeing how quickly a person makes decisions says a lot about the type of person you might be hiring. Are they a good person? Are they a kind person? Or are they just a selfish person?

Sanchez says during the podcast, "... people who take forever to order when they stand in line are: one, really comfortable inconveniencing somebody else around them, which means they have limited self-awareness, maybe borderline narcissism. And then simultaneously, [two] they're not very efficient at the things that don't really matter." Sanchez continues, "That's why they say you should take someone to dinner before you hire them or take them out to lunch to see how they treat the staff."

A 2022 study of psychological selfishness, published in the National Library of Medicine, writes, "Selfishness is perceived in ourselves and others when we detect a situation-specific desire to benefit the self that disregards others' desires and prevailing social expectations for the situation." However, does selfishness actually equate to inefficiency? Just because someone is capable of being friendly to waitstaff for lunch, does that suggest they are kind?

Studies suggest that perceived value can influence procrastination

Spinning in a chair. media1.giphy.com

Sanchez is arguing that things of little importance shouldn't occupy much of your time. Also, a good person is respectful to the needs of those around them—especially for a mutually understood situation like having limited time to get a quick coffee. However, science suggests it might just be that less important subjects actually influence people to take more time. A 2019 study in the National Library of Medicine found people were more likely to procrastinate when tasks were associated with low-value outcomes. In fact, the hippocampus-putamen coupling, a biological response, directly affected a person's ability to make quick decisions in such instances.

Maybe this person's morning coffee ritual is high value

Just because the coffee order has little importance to Sanchez, is it possible that it means something more to another person? A 2020 study in Frontiers found that people aligned with a clear value generally wasted less time. But also, if someone were to care a lot about something, they might deliberate more to try to get the decision right. If a person finds the ritual of ordering a coffee important to their morning routine, it might take them longer than expected to order.

Redditors weigh in on the TikTok video.

People chimed in with their own opinions in the comment section of the TikTok video.

"Don't be a people pleaser. Take your time. Enjoy your life," said one.

Another thoughtfully shared, "I could argue exact opposite. People who have money are careful about decisions, they want to make the right decision always, even with coffee perhaps."

One offered this concise thought: "ordering coffee quickly could also point to reckless spending."

Another thoughtful person wondered, "What if it was someone with little money treating themselves and trying to make a decision on how to get the most out of the few dollars she does have."

And this person agreed with many other commenters, noting, "That coffee order doesn't really matter? There are a whole lot of reasons it could matter a whole lot"

You can watch the podcast just below or click on the link here:

I personally don't believe Sanchez is so 'far off' or 'spot on' the mark that we benefit from overvaluing a brief clip in a TikTok video. However, it's also fair to note that we can never know what other people are feeling or experiencing in a given moment. Just because I'm in a hurry doesn't mean you are in a hurry. Just because I think this says a lot about your character doesn't mean you believe it does. I haven't found much value in holding people accountable for tasks they didn't know I was holding them accountable. In general, it just causes confusion and disappointment. Where's the good or kind in that?