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:
Douglas MacArthur
American
Military General:
Douglas
MacArthur
Main
Life Accomplishments:
During
World War I Macarthur served in France, as chief of staff of the 42nd
("Rainbow") Division. Upon his promotion to Brigadier General he
became the commander of the 84th Infantry Brigade Macarthur ordered
drastic changes in the tactical, athletic and disciplinary systems; he
modernized the curriculum, adding liberal arts, government and economics
courses As a general, Macarthur elected not to retire and remained on the
active list as a major general and with Roosevelt's approval Macarthur
accepted the assignment
Basics:
Born:
January 26, 1880 Little Roc
Died: April 5, 1964
Nationality: American
Religion: Waldorf-Astoria
Fields: Politics, Military
Main Accomplishments: MacArthur oversaw the Occupation of
Japan from 1945 to 1951. Although criticized for protecting Emperor
Hirohito and the imperial family, he is credited with implementing
far-ranging democratic changes in that country. He led the United Nations
Command forces defending South Korea against the North Korean invasion
from 1950 to 1951. On April 11, 1951 MacArthur was removed from command by
President Harry S. Truman for publicly disagreeing with Truman's Korean
War Policy.
MacArthur is credited with the military dictum, "In war, there is no
substitute for victory" but he also warned, "The soldier, above
all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest
wounds and scars of war." He fought in three major wars (World War I,
World War II, Korean War) and was one of only five men ever to rise to the
rank of General of the Army.
Chronology
of Life Events:
Jan
26 1880
Born
1904-1914
Assigned
to engineering duties in the Philippines, Wisconsin, Kansas, Michigan,
Texas, and Panama. During that time he attended the Engineer School of
Application (1906-1907), receiving a degree in 1908, and worked in the
Office of the Chief of Engineers
1917
- 1918
Macarthur
served two tours of duty in the Philippines, the second as commander of
the Philippine Department
1922-1930
Army
ranked 16th in size among the world's armies, with 13,000 officers and
126,000 enlisted men.
Oct
1935
As
part of the surrender of Japan, the United States agreed with the Soviet
Union to divide the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel. This
resulted in the creation of two states: the western-aligned Republic of
Korea (ROK) (often referred to as 'South Korea'), and the Soviet-aligned
and Communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (generally
referred to as 'North Korea')
1945
Becomes
Chief of Staff of the 42nd Infantry Division and is credited with naming
it the "Rainbow Division". Joins the American Expeditionary
Force bound for France
April
5 1964
Death
of MacAthur
Early
Life:
Douglas
MacArthur was the grandson of jurist and politician Arthur
MacArthur, Sr.. He was baptized at Christ Episcopal Church in
Little Rock on May 16, 1880. In his memoir Reminiscences, MacArthur
wrote that his first memory was the sound of the bugle, and that he had
learned to 'ride and shoot even before I could read or write--indeed,
almost before I could walk and talk. MacArthur's father was posted to San
Antonio, Texas in 1893. There, Douglas attended West Texas
Military Academy (now known as T.M.I.:
The Episcopal School of Texas), where he became an excellent
student .
As
a young officer in the Pancho
Villa Expedition (also called the Punitive Expedition) in
1916-1917, MacArthur distinguished himself in several acts of personal
bravery, including one railroad chase back to American lines for which he
was highly decorated .
During
World
War I MacArthur served in France,
as chief of staff of the 42nd
("Rainbow") Division. Upon his promotion to Brigadier
General he became the commander of the 84th Infantry Brigade. A
few weeks before the war ended he became division commander. During the
war.
When
the Commonwealth
of the Philippines achieved semi-independent status in 1935,
with its own army, the President
of the Philippines Manuel
L. Quezon asked MacArthur to supervise the creation of a Philippine
Army. As a general, MacArthur elected not to retire and
remained on the active list as a major general and with Roosevelt's
approval MacArthur accepted the assignment. MacArthur had been friends
with Quezon when his father was Governor General. MacArthur had two
conditions for taking the job: his salary was to be the same as the
President's, and his housing had to be equal to that of the President.
Wife
Background:
General
MacArthur was married twice. His first marriage, on February 14, 1922, was
to socialite Louise Cromwell Brooks, the divorced wife of Walter Brooks Jr,
and the stepdaughter of Edward T. Stotesbury, a wealthy Philadelphia
banker. She obtained a divorce from MacArthur in 1929 on the grounds that
he had failed to support her.
Henrietta
Louise Cromwell Brooks (c. 1890 - May 30, 1965) was an American socialite
and the first wife of General Douglas MacArthur.
Brooks, who was "considered one of Washington's most beautiful and
attractive young women" made her debut in Washington DC in 1910. Her
mother, Eva Roberts Cromwell, married the businessman Edward T. Stotesbury
after the death of her first husband, Louise's father, Oliver Eaton
Cromwell of Philadelphia. Louise's brother was James H. R. Cromwell, the
American diplomat and husband to Doris Duke.
Louise Cromwell was married to Walter J. Brooks, Jr. in 1911. They
divorced in 1919. She married MacArthur in 1922. That marriage ended in
1929. She next married the actor Lionel Atwill, whom she divorced in 1943.
In 1944 she married Alf Heiberg. That marriage also ended in divorce.
According to Time Magazine, a 1922 press report claimed that General John
J. Pershing threatened to send General MacArthur to the Philippines if
Louise married MacArthur.[2]
Brooks died of a heart attack in Washington DC at the age of 75..
MacArthur was married to Jean Marie Faircloth of Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
on April 30, 1937. Their only child, Arthur, was born in Manila on Feb.
21, 1938. Arthur graduated from Columbia University in 1961.
"Arthur" was a family name - being the name of MacArthur's
grandfather, father and eldest brother. Since his brother Arthur MacArthur
III was deceased at this point and had failed to give that name to his own
son (naming him instead Douglas MacArthur II), MacArthur "laid
claim"[8] to the name for his son, thus Arthur MacArthur IV.
Father
Background:
.MacArthur
attended school briefly at Wesleyan College in Connecticut, but dropped
out to help his family through a severe economic depression in 1837. He
worked as a law clerk in Boston and then New York, and was admitted to the
New York bar in 1841. Around 1844, he married Aurelia Belcher (1819 -
1864), the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. With the help of his
father-in-law, MacArthur established a very successful legal practice in
Springfield.
Mother
Background:
During the
Victorian era in which she was raised, women like Mary Pinkney Hardy
MacArthur, known as "Pinky" to her friends, were more often
judged by the achievements of their husbands and sons than by their own.
Applying this standard, Mrs. MacArthur -- wife of a highly accomplished
General, mother of one of the greatest soldiers in American history -- was
surely one of the more successful women of her day.
She was raised at Riveredge, the Hardy family plantation just outside of
Norfolk, Virginia. A proper Southern belle, Pinky was proud of her four
brothers who fought with the Confederate Army. Her family was less than
pleased, then, when she announced her engagement to Arthur MacArthur, Jr.,
the young hero of the Union's important victory at Missionary Ridge. Her
brothers refused to attend the ceremony when the two were married at
Riveredge in May of 1875. But the color of her husband's uniform mattered
less to Pinky than the honor of his vocation, and she proved to be an
outstanding army wife.
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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