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.
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SuperAttainer:
Cyrus
the Great
Founder
of the Persian Empire:
Cyrus
the Great
Main
Life Accomplishments:
Also
known as Cyrus II of Persia and Cyrus the Elder, was a Persian Shāhanshāh
(Emperor). He was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid
dynasty. The empire expanded under his rule, eventually conquering most of
Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia, from Egypt and the Hellespont in
the west to the Indus River in the east, to create the largest state the
world had yet seen.
During his twenty-nine to thirty year reign, Cyrus fought against some of
the greatest states of his time, including the Median Empire, the Lydian
Empire, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Cyrus did not venture into Egypt,
as he himself died in battle, fighting the Scythians along the Syr Darya
in August 529 BC or 530BC. He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who
managed to conquer Egypt during his short rule.
Beyond his nation, Cyrus left a lasting legacy on Jewish religion (through
his Edict of Restoration), human rights, politics, and military strategy,
as well as on both Eastern and Western civilizations.
Basics:
Born: 600
BC or 576 BC, Anshan, Persis
Died: August?, 530 BC or 529 BC Along the Syr Darya
Nationality: Persian
Religion: Zoroastrianism
Fields: Politics, Military
Main Accomplishments: He was the first Achaemenid Emperor. He
founded Persia by uniting the two original Iranian Tribes- the Medes and
the Persians. Although he was known to be a great conqueror, who at one
point controlled one of the greatest Empires ever seen, he is best
remembered for his unprecedented tolerance and magnanimous attitude
towards those he defeated.
Chronology
of Life Events:
559-330
(BCE)
Achaemenid
Dynasty established by Cyrus the Great
559 (BCE)
Cyrus
the Great built world's first large, powerful Empire
547 (BCE)
Cyrus
the Great defeated Croesus of Lydia
547 (BCE)
First
contact between Iranians and Ionian Greeks
539 (BCE)
Cyrus
the Great captured Babylon and freed the Jews
Early
Life:
Cyrus
was born anywhere between 600 BC to 576 BC. Little is known of his early
years, as the sources detailing that part of his life are few, and have
been damaged or lost.
Herodotus's story of Cyrus' early life belongs to a genre of legends in
which abandoned children of noble birth, such as Oedipus and Romulus and
Remus, return to claim their royal positions. His overlord was his own
grandfather, Astyages, ruler of the powerful Median kingdom.
After the birth of Cyrus, Astyages had a dream that his Magi interpreted
as a sign that his grandson would eventually overthrow him. He then
ordered his steward Harpagus to kill the infant. Harpagus, morally unable
to kill a newborn, summoned a herdsman of the king named Mithridates and
ordered him to dispose of the child. Luckily for the young boy, the
herdsman took him in and raised him as his own.
When Cyrus was ten years old, Herodotus claims that it was obvious that
Cyrus was not a herdsman's son, stating that his behavior was too noble.
Astyages interviewed the boy and noticed that they resembled each other.
Astyages ordered Harpagus to explain what he had done with the baby, and
after confessing that he had not killed the boy, the king tricked him into
eating his own broiled and chopped son. Astyages was more lenient with
Cyrus, and allowed him to return to his biological parents, Cambyses and
Mandane. While Herodotus' description may be a legend, it does give
insight into the figures surrounding Cyrus the Great's early life.
Wife
Background:
According
to Ctesias, Cyrus the Great married a daughter of Astyages named Amytis,
which seems unlikely, as his wife would also be his aunt. A possible
explanation is that Astyages married again, and his second wife bore him
this daughter. Cyrus' first wife, Cassandane, is equally obscure.
According to Herodotus and the Behistun Inscription, she bore Cyrus at
least two sons, Cambyses II and Smerdis. Both sons later separately ruled
Persia for a short period of time. Cyrus also had several daughters, of
which two, Artystone and Atossa, would marry Darius the Great. The latter
is significant, as she gave birth to Xerxes I, Darius' successor.
Father
Background:
Cambyses
I, Old Persian: Kambūjiya, 'the Elder' (c. 600 BC–559 BC) was King
of Anshan from c. 580 to 559 BC and was the father of Cyrus II (Cyrus the
Great). His name in Greek was
Καμβύσης, whence the Latin
Cambyses.
Cambyses was an early member of the Achaemenid dynasty. He was apparently
a great-grandson of its founder Achaemenes, grandson of Teispes of Anshan
and son of Cyrus I of Anshan. His paternal uncle reigned as Ariaramnes of
Persia and his first cousin as Arsames of Persia.
According to Herodotus, Cambyses was "a man of good family and quiet
habits". He reigned under the overlordship of Astyages, King of
Media. He was reportedly married to Princess Mandane of Media, a daughter
to Astyages and Princess Aryenis of Lydia. His wife was reportedly a
granddaughter to both Cyaxares of Media and Alyattes II of Lydia. The
result of their marriage was the birth of his successor Cyrus the Great.
According to Nicolas of Damascus his nickname was Atradates, and he was
wounded in the Battle of the Persian Border which he, with his son, fought
against Astyages, in which he received an honorable burial.
According to Herodotus, Astyages chose Cambyses as a son-in-law because he
considered him to pose no threat to the Median throne. This was not the
case with Cyrus II who would go on to depose his grandfather.
Mother
Background:
Mandana
of Media (b. ca. 584 BCE) was a Princess of Media and, later, the Queen
consort of Cambyses I of Anshan and mother of Cyrus the Great, ruler of
the Persia's Achaemenid Dynasty.
According to Herodotus, Mandana was born to Astyages, King of Media and
son of Cyaxares the Great, and Princess Aryenis of Lydia, daughter of
Alyattes II, the father of Croesus of Lydia. Christian Settipani, however,
says she was his daughter by another mother.
Shortly after her birth, Herodotus reports that Astyages had a strange
dream where his daughter urinated so much that Asia would flood. He
consulted the magi who interpreted the dream as a warning that Mandana's
son would overthrow his rule.
To forestall that outcome, Astyages betrothed Mandana to the vassal
Achaemenid prince, Cambyses I of Anshan, "a man of good family and
quiet habits", whom Astyages considered no threat to the Median
throne.
Astyages had a second dream when Mandana became pregnant where a vine grew
from her womb and overtook the world. Terrified, he sent his most loyal
court retainer, Harpagus, to kill the child. However, Harpagus was loathed
to spill royal blood and hid the child, Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) with a
shepherd named Mitradates.
Years later, Cyrus would defy his grandfather, Astyages, leading to war
between them; a war that Cyrus would have lost, but for Harpagus'
defection on the battlefield of Pasargadae, leading to the overthrow of
Astyages, as the dream had forecast.
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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