U.S. Polo Assn. CEO was told he wasn’t right for a promotion—so he ‘outworked’ anyone else who wanted the job for 6 months straight ^44.7%

Fortune - By Orianna Rosa Royle - 7/1/2026, 3:18 PM

Anecdotal 25% - Post Hoc (False Cause) 22.6% - Optimism Bias 14%

Today, he hosts polo events with Prince William and runs a $2.7 billion empire—but J. Michael Prince’s first taste of leadership was a complete accident. Not only that, he was almost passed over entirely. When the CFO role opened up at Converse in 2005—then freshly acquired by Nike—Prince had been on the payroll for barely half a year.... more