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:
Henry Ford
Inventor
of Mass Production:
Henry
Ford
Main
Life Accomplishments:
Henry
Ford long had an interest in plastics developed from agricultural
products, especially soybeans. He cultivated a relationship with George
Washington Carver for this purpose. Soybean-based plastics were used in
Ford automobiles throughout the 1930s in plastic parts such as car horns,
in paint, etc. This project culminated in 1942, when Ford patented an
automobile made almost entirely of plastic, attached to a tubular welded
frame. It weighed 30% less than a steel car, and was said to be able to
withstand blows ten times greater than could steel. Furthermore, it ran on
grain alcohol (ethanol) instead of gasoline. The design never caught on.
His
invention was a big hit for the people and the business became
international.
The
company began construction of the world's largest industrial complex along
the banks of the Rouge River in Dearborn, Michigan, during the late 1910s
and early 1920s. The massive Rouge Plant included all the elements needed
for automobile production: a steel mill, glass factory, and automobile
assembly line. Iron ore and coal were brought in on Great Lakes steamers
and by railroad, and were used to produce both iron and steel. Rolling
mills, forges, and assembly shops transformed the steel into springs,
axles, and car bodies. Foundries converted iron into engine blocks and
cylinder heads that were assembled with other components into engines. By
September 1927, all steps in the manufacturing process from refining raw
materials to final assembly of the automobile took place at the vast Rouge
Plant, characterizing Henry Ford's idea of mass production.
Basics:
Born: July
30, 1863 on a farm next to a rural town west of Detroit, Michigan (this
area is now part of Dearborn, Michigan).
Died: April 7, 1947 (aged 84) in Fair Lane
Nationality: American
Religion: Catholic
Fields: Business
Main Accomplishments: He was the American founder of the Ford
Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production.
His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation
and American industry.
Chronology
of Life Events:
Jul
30 1863
Birth
of Henry Ford
1876
Death
of his mother
1879
He
left home for the nearby city of Detroit, Michigan, to work as an
apprentice machinist, first with James F. Flower & Bros.
1882
He
returned to Dearborn to work on the family farm and became adept at
operating the Westinghouse portable steam engine.
1891
Ford
became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company
1893
Promoted
to Chief Engineer
1896
He
completed his own self-propelled vehicle named Quadricycle
1894
Ford
joined Christ the King Parish in Detriot
1903
Ford,
with 11 other investors and $28,000 in capital, incorporated the Ford
Motor Company
1914
Ford
astonished the world by offering a $5 a day wage that more than doubled
the rate of most of his workers
Oct
1 1908
Model
T was introduced
1913
Ford
introduced the moving assembly belts into his plants, which enabled an
enormous increase in production
1918
President
Woodrow Wilson personally asked Ford to run for the Senate from Michigan
as a Democrat.
Dec
1918
Henry
Ford turned the presidency of Ford Motor Company over to his son Edsel
Ford.
1943
Death
of Edsel Ford
1945
Ford
announced his five-dollar a day program
1947
Death
of Henry Ford
Early
Life:
Henry
took this passion about mechanics into his home. His father had given him
a pocket watch in his early teens. At fifteen, he had a reputation as a
watch repairman, having dismantled and reassembled timepieces of friends
and neighbors dozens of times.
His
mother died in 1876, which came as a blow that devastated young Henry. His
father expected Henry to eventually take over the family farm, but Henry
despised farm work. With his mother dead, little remained to keep him on
the farm. He later said, "I never had any particular love for the
farm - it was the mother on the farm I loved."
In
1879, he left home for the nearby city of Detroit, Michigan, to work as an
apprentice machinist, first with James F. Flower & Bros., and later
with the Detroit Dry Dock Co. In 1882, he returned to Dearborn to work on
the family farm and became adept at operating the Westinghouse portable
steam engine. This led to his being hired by Westinghouse company to
service their steam engines.
Upon
his marriage to Clara Ala Bryant in 1888, Ford supported himself by
farming and running a sawmill. They had a single child: Edsel Bryant Ford
(1893-1943).
In
1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company, and
after his promotion to Chief Engineer in 1893, he had enough time and
money to devote attention to his personal experiments on gasoline engines.
These experiments culminated in 1896 with the completion of his own
self-propelled vehicle named the Quadricycle, which he test-drove on June
4 of that year. After various test-drives, Henry Ford brainstormed ways to
improve the Quadricycle.
In
1894, Ford also became a Catholic joining Christ the King Parish in
Detroit.
.
Wife
Background:
On
April 11, 1866 Clara Jane Bryant was born. She was the eldest daughter
(after two brothers) in a family of ten children born to Martha and Melvin
Bryant. Like the Fords, the Bryants were a prosperous farming family, also
active in the Dearborn community. Clara's father, Melvin, was active in
both church and township affairs and served several terms in the state
legislature. Martha Bryant was also active in her church as both Sunday
school treasurer, teacher and as a member of the missionary society. As
the oldest daughter in a large family, Clara helped her mother around the
house with mending, washing, cooking, and baking.
Father
Background:
William
Ford (December 10, 1826 – March 8, 1905) was an Irish-born American
businessman. He was the father of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford.
William was born in County Cork, Ireland; the son of Thomasine (née
Smith), and Jonathan "John" Ford.[1] William had six siblings.
William attended St. Joseph's High School.
On April 19, 1850, William married Mary Litogot in Wayne County, Michigan,
her parents were Belgian immigrants. He and Mary had five children. They
moved to Detroit, Michigan.
William retired in 1879 and lived out the rest of his years in Sacramento,
California. He died of natural causes on March 8, 1905 in his home, and
was buried at Sacramento City Cemetery.
.
Mother
Background:
His mother
Mary Litogot Ford (1839-1876) was born in Michigan, she was the youngest
child of Belgian immigrants, her parents died when Mary was a child and
she was adopted by neighbours, the O'Herns.
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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