People like JR succeed in business because they're highly competent. It reminds me of a line from the later days in the show when a man told Carter McKay: "Men like you don't end up in the unemployment line, do they"? McKay laughed a little and agreed: "Not exactly."
Men like them rise to the top of their profession because they all have the qualities necessary for success - ambition, tremendous work ethic, intelligence, aptitude for their profession, and they love what they do. JR would have been a success even without all the underhanded tactics he used. JR could have grown up in a poor family and he'd still ended up with money. Maybe he would have opened up a used car lot, but after a while he'd have owned a dozen of them. Along with the other attributes I mentioned, JR had a gift for dealing with people.
@Piggy It's Kermit Outside, there's a term, or expression in Spanish that describes that gift - maybe you can help me out with this. I think it 's spelled "don de gente." Literally, it means "the gift of people" but that doesn't really explain the full meaning of it. Are you familiar with this term? I don't think we have a term in English that means exactly the same thing, but I'm not sure. Is there an English equivalent for "don de gente"?
You can see a great example of that when JR is talking to a man who has spent his life working in the federal government. I forget the guy's name. Was it "McIntyre"? Anyway, JR asks him about taking a visit to the Caribbean and McIntyre suggests various islands JR might like to visit. Then JR gets around to bringing up Cuba, and the guy is really surprised. I think he says: "A dyed-in-the-wool capitalist like you, visiting Cuba"? JR goes on to explain why he thinks visiting Cuba would be a good idea, and how it could be beneficial for the country as a whole. This scene demonstrates that gift that JR has of charming people, making them feel at ease, and then getting around to convincing them his idea is a good one and persuading them to help with the plan he has in mind.