I'm looking for a name for a website about leadership, motivation, personal development, productivity etc. I need a word meaning "clever/skillful/hardworking and successful person". Hotshot seems fine according to dictionaries, but it looks like the meaning is somewhat negative.
In Cambridge Dictionary the meaning is just "someone who is skillful and successful at something". But in THEFREEDICTIONARY:
- A person of impressive skill and daring, especially one who is highly successful and self-assured.
- An important person or expert, esp when showy
- Highly successful and aggressive: a hotshot sales manager.
- Displaying skill flamboyantly: a hotshot ballplayer.
- An impressively successful or skillful and often vain person.
Is 'hotshot' used mainly in a negative meaning? Is it ok to use it in my context?
Edit: can people like Tony Robbins, Robin Sharma, Brené Brown, Michael Hyatt be called hotshots? I mean it in a 100% positive way: clever/skillful/hardworking and very successful. No negative connotations.
Thank you in advance.
Best Answer
Hot shot denotes a bit of ego in context especially male-oriented activities, like sports, etc. What is the image you want to evoke in people's minds and what is the audience that you want to attract? You attract what you are according to those who are "spiritual thought leaders" such as Wayne Dyer, Mary Morrissey.
Maybe clever is construed with a bit of ego in context too. See what it is that you are projecting in choosing these words. If it is clear to you and that is the kind of person you want (prone to ego responses, purchases, etc.) then it is your word choice. It seems an age-relevant choice, so if you are younger and wanting a younger audience and are marketing to them, it could work.