Identifying
SuperAttainers
The
SuperAttainment Research Center is funding a multi-year study of high achieving individuals across a great variety of fields and geographies. The purpose is to determine key attributes indicating an propensity toward superior achievement that can be recognized by most people with experience managing other people.
The work is ongoing and is being expanded continuously.
The
SuperAttainment Research Center is an initiative to help people
in management positions identify high potential leaders and channel
them toward meaningful contributions to their organizations and to
society at large.
The
8 attributes of SuperAttainers listed below are considered some of
the
most common and easiest to identify when accompanied by other
aspects of career success.
8
Attributes of
SuperAttainers
1. Early Success
The Early Bird Gets the Worm…and Everything Else
SuperAttainers usually begin doing amazing things early in their life. In fields like music and sport, it has long been
understood that for a child to have a chance at greatness, he needs to begin around age 3 and then work at it for many years. In business and politics, unusual ability is also recognized early in a SuperAttainer’s career and is followed with many years of continued achievement. In the greatness game, it is the rabbit who wins the
race -- as long as he persists like the tortoise.
2. Contrarian
When in Rome, Don’t Do As the Romans
SuperAttainers generally think of themselves as different and apart from other people. They can often be described as rebellious and
disobedient by those who try to rule over them and are never willing crowd followers. Tremendous success seems to require doing things tremendously different.
Doing things a little better will yield results that are only a little better than others and this is not what SuperAttainers are interested in.
3. Conceited
The Pride Before The Rise
In order for someone to be thought of as great in the minds of others, he must first be thought of as great in his own mind. The tremendous achievements of SuperAttainers seem to be merely a realization in the outer world of what is already in their inner world. Predictably, it is uncommon for such people to be overly shy about describing their abundant abilities. Many SuperAttainers have come to recognize that being known as arrogant does not help their purpose and they do a good job of appearing modest. However, a bit of digging into their personality should uncover a deep feeling of self-significance.
4. Hard-Knocked
Nothing Succeeds Like Suffering
SuperAttainers have often experienced traumatic periods when their careers or even their lives were in great peril. It is during these times that they gain a deep seated feeling of personal vulnerability that can stay with them for the rest of their lives. The advantage to the future SuperAttainer is that they become consumed by the realization that they must accomplish all they can while they have the chance because it can all come crashing down at any time. It is a psychological condition that will drive them to greatness for
the rest of their lives.
5. Loner
One is Company, Two is a Crowd
SuperAttainers are often described by others as dreamers, outsiders, cold-hearted and similar labels often given to loners. They are comfortable spending long periods in the company of themselves to ponder, learn and envisage the future. Many develop a love of solitary activities such as book-reading early in their life. They are not usually enthusiastic participants in team activities except when they are
leading the group.
6. Mentored
& Motivated
Behind Every Great Man are His Parents
Parents often play
the key role in the cultivation and realization of SuperAttainers,
spending immense amounts of time and money to give their offspring
the skills, experiences and relationships required for immense
amounts of success. They tutor baby SuperAttainers from the crib,
send them to the best schools and put them in touch with the best
mentors. It has been shown that mothers, in particular, can play a
strong role if they are supremely confident in their son's innate
abilities and then take devoted and continuing action to develop
them.
7. Discontent
Patience is No Virtue
SuperAttainers have an abnormally intense need for continuous accomplishment. Success does not bring these people a sense of inner peace. There is always someone else to overtake or a higher target to aspire to. They are impatient, dissatisfied and edgy when not engaged in activities that lead to the fulfillment of their personal goals. They seem psychologically unstable in this regard compared with most people.
8. Promoted
Self-Flattery Gets You Everywhere
There have been many great people who have lived and died in the history of our species but nobody knows most of them because their achievements were inadequately documented. In order to be thought of as a great success by large numbers of people, someone needs to be a great success at publicizing the SuperAttainer. In most instances, it is the SuperAttainers
themselves who are great self-promoters. In other cases, another talented person takes on the critically important role.
TWO
TYPES OF SUPERATTAINERS
1. Aristocratic SuperAttainers
Pampered and pompous, these people excel despite having been given it all. They grow up with all the best things, attend the best schools and hobnob with the best minds. Because they are so deeply bonded to a powerful and privileged elite, they are often conservative and elitist. Real change seldom happens with these people in charge. On the plus side, they are less likely to lead themselves and their followers down paths of mutual destruction. Examples of Aristocratic SuperAttainers include: Winston Churchill, Peter the Great, Louis XIV and Frederick the Great.
2. Come-From-
Nothing
SuperAttainers
Rags to riches, these people pull themselves up to greatness through tremendous obstacles. Luck plays a role but most of their success is due to relentless force of character. Since they come from outside the establishment, they can be great agents of change. Unfortunately, they are prone to crash and burning when they inevitably overstretch themselves and their supporters. Examples of Come-From-Nothing SuperAttainers include: Joseph Stalin,
Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Mao Zedong.
Rules
for Managers
Rules
for Self-Help
Rules
for Parents
Men
Vs. Women
The
SuperAttainment Research Center is operated as a CSR
(Corporate Social Responsibility) activity of Chalre
Associates Executive Search to help business people identify and
develop future leaders for their organizations and society at
large.
Chalre
Associates is a regional provider of Executive Search services
in the emerging countries of the Asia Pacific region.
Multinational companies use them to bridge the gap between the local
environment and their world-class requirements in countries like
Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
 +632 892 6703
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SuperAttainer:
Alfred Sloan
Founder
of General Motors:
Alfred
Sloan
Main
Life Accomplishments:
General
Motors chairman Alfred P. Sloan was the ultimate organization man: he rose
to the top of the auto industry after pioneers like Henry Ford built it,
and then he transformed it with innovative management practices that today
are studied and copied by business executives everywhere. In Sloan Rules,
University of New Mexico historian David Farber describes how Sloan led
his company to "economic greatness" between the 1920s and '40s,
particularly by developing "a loose economic model in which highly
rationalized corporate productivity combined with relentless marketing
creates a mass consumer society that, in turn, produces the greatest good
for the greatest number of people." Surprisingly little is known
about Sloan's personal life--he was an intensely private man--but in this
biography Farber provides a good overview of what made Sloan such an
outstanding businessman. He also recounts Sloan's contentious relationship
with Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "To Sloan, the New Deal was a raw
deal." (At one point, the chairman even described the New Dealers as
"ancient Asiatic despots.") Farber clearly wishes his subject
had concerned himself more with social justice, but he also points out
that Sloan's energy and creativity made it possible for a subsequent GM
chairman to say, with some if not complete credibility, that what's good
for GM is good for America.
Basics:
Born:
23-May-1875 New Haven, CT
Died: 17-Feb-1966
New York City
Nationality: American
Religion: Methodist
Fields: Business
Main Accomplishments: He was a famous businessman from United
States of Methodist religion.
Chronology
of Life Events:
1875
Alfred
Sloan born.
1895
Graduated
from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1895
Joined
Hyatt Roller Bearing Co.
1916
Became
an investor in United Motor Corp.
1918
United
Motors merged with General Motors.
1923
Named
president of GM.
1934
Established
the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
1937
Became
chairman of GM board.
1964
Wrote
My Years with General Motors.
1956
Retired
from GM.
Early
Life:
Sloan
was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1875, the son of Alfred P. Sloan Sr.
and Katherine Mead Sloan. His father was a machinist with investments in a
number of businesses, including a tea and coffee import company. When
Alfred Jr. was five, the family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he
excelled academically in its public schools. As a teen, he passed the
entrance examination for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but was
denied admission because of his young age. He was allowed to enter at the
age of 17, and earned his degree in electrical engineering in three years.
Sloan married Irene Jackson and maintained a home on New York’s Fifth
Avenue. According to the profiles of him published during his lifetime in
magazines like Time and Forbes, Sloan was the quintessential mid-century
auto executive, with no interests or hobbies outside of the office. He and
his wife had no children, but Sloan was close to a half-brother, Raymond,
who was 18 years his junior. When Raymond died in the 1940s, Sloan was
deeply saddened, and increased the funding and time he gave to the
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. His half-brother had been a
hospital administrator and had drawn Sloan into medical philanthropy.
Sloan was also known to be generous with his resources when he learned of
a GM family in trouble; he once spent a Christmas holiday working toward
finding the best medical care for the burned child of a plant manager,
neither of whom he had ever met. He also refused to publish his
autobiography, My Years with General Motors, until all of the people
mentioned had passed away. Sloan himself died just two years later on
February 17, 1966, and is buried in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.
Wife
Background:
Sloan
married Irene Jackson and maintained a home on New York’s Fifth Avenue.
According to the profiles of him published during his lifetime in
magazines like Time and Forbes, Sloan was the quintessential mid-century
auto executive, with no interests or hobbies outside of the office. He and
his wife had no children, but Sloan was close to a half-brother, Raymond,
who was 18 years his junior. When Raymond died in the 1940s, Sloan was
deeply saddened, and increased the funding and time he gave to the
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. His half-brother had been a
hospital administrator and had drawn Sloan into medical philanthropy.
Sloan was also known to be generous with his resources when he learned of
a GM family in trouble; he once spent a Christmas holiday working toward
finding the best medical care for the burned child of a plant manager,
neither of whom he had ever met. He also refused to publish his
autobiography, My Years with General Motors, until all of the people
mentioned had passed away. Sloan himself died just two years later on
February 17, 1966, and is buried in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.
Father
Background:
Alfred
Sloan, Sr., was a merchant whose business had become so profitable by 1885
that he moved the family to New York City.
Mother
Background:
Katherine
Mead Sloan. 81, mother of President Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr. of General
Motors Corp. died cause of heart disease in Manhattan.
SuperAttainer
ANALYSIS SECTION:
1. Early Success
When did the SuperAttainer first display ability
that was greatly above average and what were his accomplishments?
REFERENCES:
1.
2. Contrarian
What actions did the SuperAttainer take that demonstrated a mindset that was very different from those around him?
REFERENCES:
1.
3. Conceited
What are the actions and documented statements that exhibit an elevated sense of self importance of the
SuperAttainer?
REFERENCES:
1.
4. Hard-Knocked
During what events did the SuperAttainer experience personal misery and severe anxiety?
REFERENCES:
1.
5. Loner
Is there evidence of the SuperAttainer being comfortable spending time apart from others?
REFERENCES:
1.
6. Mentored & Motivated
Who was vital to developing the SuperAttainer and guiding his career and what significant actions were taken?
REFERENCES:
1.
7. Discontent
What evidence is there that the SuperAttainer was unsatisfied with even great personal accomplishment?
REFERENCES:
1.
8. Promoted
What actions or events were responsible for
publicizing the tremendous achievements and abilities of the SuperAttainer?
REFERENCES:
1.
Overall
Score:
x
out of 8 = xx%
PASS
SuperAttainer
Type:
Describe the factors in the SuperAttainer’s background to indicate
whether he is a Come-From-Nothing or Aristocratic type..
Conclusion:
Executive Search
& Management Consulting:
Chalre
Associates provides its Executive Search & Management
Consulting services throughout the emerging countries of the Asia Pacific
region with specific focus on Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam
and Singapore.
Regional
Managers use us to help bridge the gap between local environments and
the world-class requirements of multinational corporations.
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