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
 +63 908 880 4178
 leaders@chalre.com
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SuperAttainer:
Chiang Kai-Shek
Chinese Leader & Statesman:
Chiang
Kai-Shek
Main
Life Accomplishments:
He
was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of
the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. He led the
national government of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 to 1975. He
began his military education at the Baoding Military Academy, in 1906,
attended the Military State Academy in Japan in 1907. Chiang Kai-shek
served in the Imperial Japanese Army from 1909 to 1911. He commanded the
Northern Expedition to unify China against the warlords and emerged
victorious in 1928 as the overall leader of the Republic of China. Chiang
led China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, during which Chiang's stature
within China weakened, but his international prominence grew. During the
Chinese Civil War (1927–1950), Chiang attempted to eradicate the Chinese
Communists, but ultimately failed, forcing his government to retreat to
Taiwan, where he continued serving as the President of the Republic of
China and Director-General of the KMT for the remainder of his life.
Basics:
Born:
October 31, 1887 in Fenghua, Zhejiang, China
Died: April 5, 1975 (aged 87) at Taipei, Taiwan
Nationality: Chinese
Religion: Methodist
Fields: Military, Politics
Main
Accomplishments:· He was a Chinese military and political leader who
assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun
Yat-sen.
Chronology
of Life Events:
Oct
31 1887
Birth
of Chiang Kai-shek
1906
He
began his military education at the Baoding Military Academy
1907
He
left for a preparatory school special for Chinese students to enter
Rikugun Shikan Gakko
1908
Chen
brought Chiang into the Tongmenghui
1911
Chiang
Kai-shek returned to China
Feb
15 1912
Chiang Kai-shek shot and killed Tao Chengzhang, the leader of the
Restoration Society,
May
18 1916
Chen
Qimei was assassinated by agents of Yuan Shikai and Chiang succeeded him
as the leader of the Chinese Revolutionary Party in Shanghai.
1918
Chiang
joined SunYat-sen
1924
Sun
sent Chiang Kai-shek to spend three months in Moscow studying the Soviet
political and military system.
1925
Chiang
became Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Forces
Apr
12 1927
Chiang
began a swift and brutal attack on thousands of suspected Communists
Dec
1 1927
Chiang
married Soong May-ling, the younger sister of Soong Ching-ling
1928
Chiang
was named Generalissimo of all Chinese forces and Chairman of the National
Government
1930
Chiang
fought with most of his warlord allies
1931
Chiang
resigned as Chairman of the National Government
1936
Chiang
flew to Xi'an to coordinate a major assault on Red Army forces holed up in
Yan'an
1947
Chiang
was elected by the National Assembly to be President
Jan
29 1949
Chiang
resigned as president
Mar
1 1950
Chiang
moved the government to Taipei, Taiwan, where he formally resumed his
duties as president
May
20 1954
Chiang
was reelected by the National Assembly to be the President of the ROC and
again in 1960, 1966, and 1972
Apr
5 1975
Death
of Chiang Kai-shek
Early
Life:
Chiang
Kai-shek was born in Xikou, China,a town that is approximately 20.5 miles
southwest of downtown Ningbo, in Fenghua County, Ningbo Prefecture,
Zhejiang Province. However, his ancestral home, a concept important in
Chinese society, was the town of Heqiao (和橋鎮)
in Yixing County, Wuxi Prefecture, Jiangsu Province (approximately 38 km
or 24 miles southwest of downtown Wuxi, and 10 km (6 miles) from the
shores of the famous Lake Taihu).
His
father, Chiang Zhaocong, and mother, Wang Caiyu, were essential members of
an upper to upper-middle class family of salt merchants. His father died
when Kai-shek was only three years of age, and he wrote of his mother as
the "embodiment of Confucian virtues." In an arranged marriage,
Chiang was married to fellow villager by the name of Mao Fumei. Chiang and
Mao had a son Ching-Kuo and a daughter Chien-hua.
Chiang
grew up in an era in which military defeats had left China destabilized
and in debt, and he decided to join the military. He began his military
education at the Baoding Military Academy, in 1906. He left for a
preparatory school special for Chinese students to enter Rikugun Shikan
Gakko in Japan in 1907. There he was influenced by his compatriots to
support the revolutionary movement to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and to
set up a Chinese Republic. He befriended fellow Zhejiang native Chen Qimei,
and, in 1908, Chen brought Chiang into the Tongmenghui. Chiang served in
the Imperial Japanese Army from 1909 to 1911.
Wife
Background:
The
fourth of six children, she was born in Shanghaito Charlie Soong, a Hakka
Chinese Methodist minister and businessman who made a fortune selling
Bibles in China. May-ling attended Motyeire School, an American private
school, in Shanghai at the age of eight.
She
started college at her sisters' alma mater, Wesleyan College in Macon,
Georgia, but transferred to Wellesley College and graduated with honors in
1917 with a major in English literature and minor in philosophy. As a
result of being educated in the United States she spoke excellent English
with a pronounced Georgian accent which helped her connect with American
audiences. Soong May-ling met Chiang Kai-shek in 1920. Since he was eleven
years her elder, already married, and a Buddhist, May-ling's mother
vehemently opposed the marriage between the two, but finally agreed after
Chiang showed proof of his divorce and promised to convert to
Christianity. Chiang told his future mother-in-law that he couldn't
convert immediately, because religion needed to be gradually absorbed, not
swallowed like a pill. While some biographers regard the marriage as one
of the greatest love matches of all time, others describe it as a marriage
of convenience. The couple never had any children.
Madame
Chiang initiated the New Life Movement and became actively engaged in
Chinese politics. She was a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1930 to
1932 and Secretary-General of the Chinese Aeronautical Affairs Commission
from 1936 to 1938. In 1945 she became a member of the Central Executive
Committee of the Kuomintang. As her husband rose to become Generalissimo
and leader of the Kuomintang, Madame Chiang acted as his English
translator, secretary and advisor. During World War II, Madame Chiang
tried to promote the Chinese cause and build a legacy for her husband on
par with Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Well versed in both Chinese and
western culture, she became popular both in China and abroad. Her
prominence led Joseph Stilwell to quip that she ought to be appointed
minister of defense
Father
Background:
Chiang
Zhaocong, died when Kai-Shek was just three years old.
Mother
Background:
Wang Caiyu
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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