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:
Gregor Mendel
Father
of Genetics:
Gregor
Mendel
Main
Life Accomplishments:
The
theories of heredity attributed to Gregor Mendel, based on his work with
pea plants, are well known to students of biology. But his work was so
brilliant and unprecedented at the time it appeared that it took
thirty-four years for the rest of the scientific community to catch up to
it. The short monograph, Experiments with Plant Hybrids, in which Mendel
described how traits were inherited, has become one of the most enduring
and influential publications in the history of science.
The
first person to trace the characteristics of successive generations of a
living thing, was not a world-renowned scientist of his day. Rather, he
was an Augustinian monk who taught natural science to high school
students.
Basics:
Born:
July 20, 1822 in Heinzendorf, Silesia, Bohemia
Died: January 6, 1884 ( 61 years old) at Brno, Moravia
Nationality: Bohemian
Religion: Roman Catholic
Fields: Science
Main Accomplishments: Mendel was the first to lay the
mathematical foundations of genetics, in what came to be called "Mendelianism".
Chronology
of Life Events:
Jul
20 1822
Birth
of Gregor Mendel
Jul
22 1822
Baptism
of Gregor Mendel
1843
He
entered the Augustinian Abbey St. Thomas in Borno
1851
He
was sent to the University of Vienna to study
1853
He
returned to his Abbey as a teacher, principally in physics
1856-
1863
Mendel
cultivated and tested some 29,000 pea plants
1865
Mendel
read his paper, "Experiments on Plant Hybridization", at two
meetings of the Natural History Society of Brünn
1866
Mendel’s
paper was published
1868
He
was elevated as abbot and his scientific work largely ended as he became
consumed with his increased administrative responsibilities, especially a
dispute with the civil government over their attempt to impose special
taxes on religious institutions
Jan
6 1884
Mendel
died from chronic nephritis
Early
Life:
Mendel
was born into a German-speaking family in Heinzendorf, Austrian Silesia,
then part of the Austrian Empire (now Hynčice in the Czech Republic),
and was baptised two days later. During his childhood Mendel worked as a
gardener, and as a young man attended the Philosophical Institute in
Olomouc (Olmütz). In 1843 he entered the Augustinian Abbey of St. Thomas
in Brno, (Brünn). Born Johann Mendel, he took the name Gregor upon
entering monastic life. In 1851 he was sent to the University of Vienna to
study, returning to his abbey in 1853 as a teacher, principally of
physics. Interestingly, during Mendel's time at the University of Vienna,
his results were poor and he failed his examinations to become a teacher.
Gregor
Mendel, who is known as the "father of modern genetics", was
inspired by both his professors at university and his colleagues at the
monastery to study variation in plants, and he conducted his study in the
monastery's garden. Between 1856 and 1863 Mendel cultivated and tested
some 29,000 pea plants. This study showed that one in four pea plants had
purebred recessive alleles, two out of four were hybrid and one out of
four were purebred dominant. His experiments brought forth two
generalisations which later became known as Mendel's Laws of Inheritance.
Mendel
read his paper, "Experiments on Plant Hybridization", at two
meetings of the Natural History Society of Brünn in Moravia in 1865. When
Mendel's paper was published in 1866 in Proceedings of the Natural History
Society of Brünn, it had little impact and was cited about three times
over the next thirty-five years. His paper received plenty of criticism.
Elevated
as abbot in 1868, his scientific work largely ended as Mendel became
consumed with his increased administrative responsibilities, especially a
dispute with the civil government over their attempt to impose special
taxes on religious institutions.
At
first Mendel's work was rejected (and it was not widely accepted until
after he died). The common belief at the time was that pangenes were
responsible for inheritance. Even Darwin's theory of evolution used
pangenesis instead of Mendel's model of inheritance. The modern synthesis
uses Mendelian genetics.
Father
Background:
His
father, Anton Mendel (1789-1857), is a peasant, and a veteran of the
Napoleonic Wars.
Mother
Background:
Johann's
mother, Rosine née Schwirtlich (1794-1862), had already given birth to
three daughters, two of whom haved died.
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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