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Unit 68

How "Average" People Excel

Why do ordinary individuals often seem to achieve more than those talented fast-trackers, who tend to plateau after initial eye-catching achievements. To find out, I interviewed over 190 men and women in my work as a corporate consultant. I determined tat "average" people who excel:

Learn self-discipline. You don't need talent to succeed. All you need is a big pot of glue. You smear some on your chair and some on the seats of your pants, you sit down, and stick with every project until you've done the best you can do. Average achievers stay glued to their chairs and postpone pleasure so they can reap future dividends. Many fast-trackers, on the other hand, expect too much too soon. When rewards don't materialize instantly, they may become frustrated and unhappy. According to Dr. Vailant, a psychiatrist, average achievers have a crucial mental habit -- the capacity to postpone -- but not give up -- gratification.

Bring out the best in people. Many fast-trackers couldn't tolerate getting help from others or sharing success, often because of an overpowering ego. Collaboration is the key, and one of the best collaborators I've met is Marilyn, who supervises 10 people for the Los Angeles County Bar Association. "Many of them are more intelligent than I am," she says, "I'm there to manage their conflicts and motivate them to do well."

Build a knowledge base. Average achievers are not looking at the top job, as many fast-trackers tend to do -- but at the job one step above. So they often broaden their knowledge base in a way many fast-trackers don't.

Develop special skills. There are at least 7 basic intellectual skills: mathematical, logical, linguistic, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic and two types of personal intelligence -- how we understand others, and how we deal with our own dreams, fears and frustrations. So while you may not be good at math, you may have an aptitude for design; or you may have an ability for persuading people.

Bounce back from defeat. Sylvia did okay in school, but nothing outstanding. At 42, she joined Revlon as a senior director of marketing. But after only months, she was let go as part of a cutback. A month later, a publishing friend asked for advice on selling advertising to the beauty industry. Two years later, working out of her apartment, Sylvia is now supplying that advice to major clients at roughly the same income she earned at Revlon. She likes being her own boss. "Getting laid off forces you to be creative," she says. "It lights a fire under you."

Ultimately, there is nothing more powerful than a person with an average mind who holds his/her head high and goes about life with zest and surety. President Abraham Lincoln could have been destroyed by his seeing ordinariness. He came from a poor background and had ungainly appearance. Instead, he went on to greatness -- while giving new meaning and dignity to what the world considered "average".