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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Greek Philosopher:
Plato
Main
Life Accomplishments:
Plato
was a Classical Greek philosopher, who, together with his mentor,
Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, helped to lay the foundations of
Western philosophy.[2] Plato was also a mathematician, writer of
philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first
institution of higher learning in the western world. Plato was originally
a student of Socrates, and was as much influenced by his thinking as by
what he saw as his teacher's unjust death.
Plato's sophistication as a writer can be witnessed by reading his
Socratic dialogues. Some of the dialogues, letters, and other works that
are ascribed to him are considered spurious.[3] Although there is little
question that Plato lectured at the Academy that he founded, the
pedagogical function of his dialogues, if any, is not known with
certainty. The dialogues since Plato's time have been used to teach a
range of subjects, mostly including philosophy, logic, rhetoric,
mathematics, and other subjects about which he wrote.
Basics:
Born:
c. 424–423 BC, Athens
Died: c. 348–347 BC, Athens (aged 76 approx)
Nationality: Ancient Greece
Fields: Philosophy
Main Accomplishments: He was famous ancient Greek
Philosopher.
Chronology
of Life Events:
427
BC
Born sometime around this year, probably in Athens, Greece.
407
BC
Begins
studying with Socrates.
399
BC
Socrates
selected death over exile, after his conviction for corrupting the youth
of Athens.
399
BC
Begins
his travels through out Greece, Italy, and perhaps Northern Africa.
377
BC
Returns
to Athens
385
BC
Founds
the Academy in Athens.
347
BC
Dies
at age 80.
Early
Life:
The
exact birthdate of Plato is unknown. Based on ancient sources, most modern
scholars estimate that he was born in Athens or Aegina[b] between 429 and
423 BC[a] His father was Ariston. According to a disputed tradition,
reported by Diogenes Laertius, Ariston traced his descent from the king of
Athens, Codrus, and the king of Messenia, Melanthus.[4] Plato's mother was
Perictione, whose family boasted of a relationship with the famous
Athenian lawmaker and lyric poet Solon.[5] Perictione was sister of
Charmides and niece of Critias, both prominent figures of the Thirty
Tyrants, the brief oligarchic regime, which followed on the collapse of
Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian war (404-403 BC).[6] Besides Plato
himself, Ariston and Perictione had three other children; these were two
sons, Adeimantus and Glaucon, and a daughter Potone, the mother of
Speusippus (the nephew and successor of Plato as head of his philosophical
Academy).[6] According to the Republic, Adeimantus and Glaucon were older
than Plato.[7] Nevertheless, in his Memorabilia, Xenophon presents Glaucon
as younger than Plato.[8]
Ariston tried to force his attentions on Perictione, but failed of his
purpose; then the ancient Greek god Apollo appeared to him in a vision,
and, as a result of it, Ariston left Perictione unmolested.[9] Another
legend related that, while he was sleeping as an infant, bees had settled
on the lips of Plato; an augury of the sweetness of style in which he
would discourse philosophy.[10]
Ariston appears to have died in Plato's childhood, although the precise
dating of his death is difficult.[11] Perictione then married Pyrilampes,
her mother's brother,[12] who had served many times as an ambassador to
the Persian court and was a friend of Pericles, the leader of the
democratic faction in Athens.[13] Pyrilampes had a son from a previous
marriage, Demus, who was famous for his beauty.[14] Perictione gave birth
to Pyrilampes' second son, Antiphon, the half-brother of Plato, who
appears in Parmenides.[15]
In contrast to his reticence about himself, Plato used to introduce his
distinguished relatives into his dialogues, or to mention them with some
precision: Charmides has one named after him; Critias speaks in both
Charmides and Protagoras; Adeimantus and Glaucon take prominent parts in
the Republic.[16] From these and other references one can reconstruct his
family tree, and this suggests a considerable amount of family pride.
According to Burnet, "the opening scene of the Charmides is a
glorification of the whole [family] connection ... Plato's dialogues are
not only a memorial to Socrates, but also the happier days of his own
family".
Father
Background:
Plato's
father was Ariston, the son of Aristocles, of the deme of Colytus.
According to a tradition, reported by Diogenes Laertius but disputed by
Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Ariston traced his descent from the king of
Athens, Codrus, and the king of Messenia, Melanthus.[13] That claim is not
however exploited in the philosopher's dialogues.
Mother
Background:
Plato's
mother was Perictione, whose family boasted of a relationship with the
famous Athenian lawmaker and lyric poet Solon.[15] Perictione was sister
of Charmides and niece of Critias, both prominent figures of the Thirty
Tyrants, the brief oligarchic regime, which followed on the collapse of
Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian war (404-403 BC).
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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