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:
Martin Luther
Founder
of Lutheran Protestant Church:
Martin
Luther
Main
Life Accomplishments:
The
key tenets of Luther's theology — that the Bible is the sole source of
religious authority; that grace alone, attainable only by faith in Jesus
as the messiah, a faith unmediated by the church, is the only salvation;
and that the church is a priesthood of all believers— helped to inspire
the Protestant Reformation and change the course of Western civilization.
Luther's translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more
accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the
church and on German culture. The translation also furthered the
development of a standard version of the German language, added several
principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of
the English King James Bible.[4] His hymns inspired the development of
congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von
Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within
Protestantism.
Luther is also known for his writings about the Jews, the nature and
consequences of which are the subject of scholarly debate. His statements
that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money
confiscated, and liberty curtailed were revived and given widespread
publicity by the Nazis in Germany in 1933–45. As a result of this and
his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.
Basics:
Born:
Born November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany
Died: Died February 18, 1546 ( 63 years old) at Eisleben
Nationality: German
Religion: Lutheran
Fields: Religion
Main Accomplishments: He was a famous personality from
Germany of Lutheran religion.
Chronology
of Life Events:
Nov
10, 1483
Birth
of Martin Luther
1497
Martin
was sent to schools in Mansfeld
1498
He
attended school in Eisenach
1501
He
entered the University of Erfurt
1502
He
received his Bachelors Degree
Jul
17, 1505
He
received his Masters Degree
1507
He
entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt
1508
He
was ordained to the priesthood
Mar
9, 1508
He
began teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg
1509
He
received a Bachelor's degree in Biblical studies
Oct
9, 1512
He received Bachelor's degree in the Sentences by Peter Lombard
Oct
21, 1512
He
was awarded his Doctor of Theology
was received into the senate of the theological faculty of the University
of Wittenberg,
Oct
31, 1517
Luther
wrote to Albert, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, protesting the sale of
indulgences.
Jun
15, 1520
Pope warned Luther with the papal bull (edict) Exsurge Domine that he
risked excommunication unless he recanted 41 sentences drawn from his
writings, including the 95 Theses, within 60 days
Mar
6, 1522
Luther
secretly returned to Wittenberg
1522
His translation of The New Testament was published
Jun
13, 1525
Luther
married Katharina von Bora
1528
Luther
visited parishes and schools in Saxony
1539
Luther
became involved in controversy surrounding the bigamy of Philip I,
Landgrave of Hesse
1536
he
began to suffer from kidney and bladder stones, and arthritis, and an ear
infection ruptured an ear drum.
1544
he
began to feel the effects of angina
Feb
18, 1546
Death
of Martin Luther
Early
Life:
Luther
was born to Hans and Margarethe Luther (née Lindemann) on November 10,
1483 in Eisleben, Germany. He was baptized the next morning on the feast
day of St. Martin of Tours. His family moved to Mansfeld in 1484, where
his father operated copper mines.
Hans Luther was determined to see his eldest son become a lawyer. He sent
Martin to schools in Mansfeld and in 1497, Magdeburg, where he attended a
school operated by a lay group called the Brethren of the Common Life. In
1498, he attended school in Eisenach. At the age of seventeen in 1501, he
entered the University of Erfurt, receiving his Bachelor's degree after
just one year in 1502, and his Master's in 1505.
In accordance with his father's wishes, he enrolled in law school at the
same university, but the course of his life changed, he said, during a
thunderstorm in the summer of that year. A lightning bolt struck near him
as he was returning to school. Terrified, he cried out, "Help! Saint
Anna, I will become a monk!" He left law school, sold his books, and
entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt on July 17, 1505.
Wife
Background:
Katharina
von Bora was born to Hans von Bora and Anna von Bora, née von Haubitz, on
January 29, 1499 in Lippendorf (south of Leipzig), Germany. Katharina grew
up in a family of impoverished Saxon nobles, probably with three brothers
and a sister.
Her mother died when she was quite young and her father quickly remarried,
sending Katharina to the Benedictine cloister in Brehna (near Halle) in
1504 at the age of five. In 1508, her father transferred her to
Marienthron (Mary's Throne), the Cistercian convent of Nimbschen, near
Grimma. A paternal aunt, Magadalene ("Lena") von Bora, was a nun
at the convent, and a maternal aunt, Margarete von Haubitz, was the Mother
Superior. On October 8, 1515, at the age of 16, she took her vows as a
nun. While at the convent, she learned reading, writing, and some Latin.
After several years of religious life, Katharina became interested in the
growing reform movement and grew dissatisfied with her life at the
convent, conspiring with several other nuns to flee from it. However, this
was difficult, as leaving — or assisting others in leaving — religious
life was an offense punishable by death. The women secretly contacted
Luther, begging for his assistance.
On Easter eve 1523, Luther sent Leonhard Köppe, a city councilman of
Torgau and a merchant who regularly delivered herring to the convent. The
nuns successfully escaped by hiding in Köppe's covered wagon amongst the
fish barrels and fled to Wittenberg. A local student wrote to a friend: 'A
wagon load of vestal virgins has just come to town, all more eager for
marriage than for life. God grant them husbands lest worse
befall."[1] Within two years, Luther was able to arrange homes,
marriages or employment for all of the escaped nuns — except Katharina.
Katharina was first housed with the family of Philipp Reichenbach, the
city clerk of Wittenberg, and later went to the home of Lucas Cranach the
Elder and his wife, Barbara. She had a number of suitors, including
Wittenberg University alumnus Jerome (Hieronymus) Baumgärtner
(1498–1565) of Nuremberg and Dr. (Pastor) Kaspar Glatz of Orlamünde,
but none of the proposed matches worked out. Finally she told Luther’s
friend and fellow reformer, Nikolaus von Amsdorf, that she would only be
willing to marry either him or Dr. Luther.
Father
Background:
Hans
Luther (1459-1530) is best known as the father of the reformer Martin
Luther. When Martin was an infant, Hans moved the family from Eisleben to
Mansfeld where he leased and operated a copper smelter. The resulting
prosperity allowed him to send Martin to good schools and finally to the
law school at the University of Erfurt. He hoped Martin would continue to
contribute to the family's upward social mobility and never fully
reconciled himself to Martin's decision to become a monk. Though the
relationship between father and son was complex and not always amiable, in
1526 Martin named his first son Hans II in honor of his father.
Hans Luther died on May 1, 1530 while Martin was away at the Coburg
Fortress for the Diet of Augsburg.
Mother
Background:
Margarethe
Luther (née Lindemann)
She
was the mother of the German theologian and church reformer, Martin
Luther.
Long believed to have come from a peasant family by the name of Ziegler,
Margarethe, or "Hanna" as she was usually called, was in fact
the daughter of Johann (I) Lindemann, a burger in the German city of
Eisenach. Margaretha married Hans Luther (15th century) and moved with him
first to Eisleben, and then to Mansfeld, where he sought his fortune in
the copper mines.
Martin Luther was the eldest of their (probably) nine children. Martin
clearly benefited from his mother's family connections, particularly in
the excellent education he received. Moreover, he seems early to have
imbibed the middle class Christian piety characteristic of his mother's
family. Thus, Margarethe's influence on her son was probably greater than
has traditionally been recognized. Margaretha and Hans were by all
accounts good parents, strict but loving. Luther always remembered his
mother fondly, and he wrote a moving letter of pastoral comfort to her
when she was ill and at the point of death.
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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