The Careerist, Why Newt Gingrich Is a Role Model, by Vivia Chen:

Let me just put it out there: I feel uplifted by Newt Gingrich's surge in the polls. You already know he's a leader (he gave us American Exceptionalism and Contract with America), scholar (Ph.D. from Tulane and author of several books), and incurable romantic (wife number three seems to be The One). But did you know he's also a role model for young lawyers–in fact, anyone who wants to reach that ephemeral "next level"?

Newt (can we be on a first-name basis?) has a special place in my heart because he exemplifies a theory I've long held about success: If you have enough bravado, you can rise to the top. I've seen this over and over again in law firms, where lawyers with modest talents rise to partnership, while some of their smarter and much more hardworking colleagues get left in the dust. If this doesn't give us hope about upward mobility, I don't what will.

But this is not as simple as it might seem: Not only do you have to project superiority, but you have to believe in it too–even in the face of evidence to the contrary. … Being self-important (and I don't mean just being confident) is really a career propeller.