Why Intelligence Is Not The Best Predictor Of Success

I always admired those students in school that were naturally brilliant. The students that always knew the answers to the teachers’ questions, could solve a statistics question in their head without using a calculator, or those students that studied half the amount of time as I did, only to achieve the same grade. What I lacked in natural ability, I made up for in work ethic. What I’ve come to realize later in life, is that intelligence is not necessarily the best predictor of success.

I’m pretty sure I was one of the last students admitted into the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria. While I had A’s in many classes, I struggled in Economics and every time I thought I had figured out which way the supply and demand curve moved, it would move in the complete opposite direction. I also had a strong dislike for Statistics and every test question seemed to be based on a deck of cards and the probability of pulling a card from the deck if you already had a card of the same suit in your hand. I never played cards growing up and this course only increased my dislike for cards. I re-did my Statistics class and met with the Dean of the Business School to interview for a spot in the school. I sat down with him and I said, “Sir, please don’t measure my potential success in the business school based upon my economics and statistics grades. I promise you, that I will not only be successful in the business school, but I will graduate on the Dean’s list.” The Dean’s list is the prestigious list of the top 10% of students graduating from the program. Thankfully, I was admitted into the program, and I did end up graduating on the Dean’s list, not because academics came naturally to me, but because I had a goal and the drive and determination to achieve that goal.

According to Angela Duckworth, a researcher and Professor, the greatest predictor of success is a combination of passion and perseverance, or what’s known as grit. In her book called Grit, Angela studied West Point Cadets. The admissions process to get in is more difficult than the admissions process for universities. You need outstanding high school grades, top SAT scores, a nomination from a member of Congress, a senator, or the VP of the US. You also need outstanding marks in a fitness assessment including pull-ups, running, push-ups, and sit-ups. Each year, 14,000 applicants apply and 1,200 are admitted and enrolled. Out of that 1200, 1 in 5 will drop out before graduation, and the majority of those drop out during the intensive 7 week training program called the Beast Barracks. Angela designed a series of questions to assess the Cadets level of perseverance and passion, called the Grit Scale and sure enough, she was able to conclude that what matters for making it through the Beast, wasn’t SAT scores, high school rank, leadership experience, or athletic ability, what matters is grit. The Cadets that graduated had a never give up attitude, and a higher level of passion and perseverance.

You can apply this same theory in sports and in business. Last year we saw some amazing triumphs and losses, which all came down to grit. Michael Phelps won 5 gold medals and 1 silver medal in the 2016 Olympics making him the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals and 23 of them gold. He wasn’t expected to win that many medals and he had several setbacks on the way to the Olympics. Shaunae Miller a 400m runner from the Bahamas had never won an Olympic medal. In the women’s 400m final she dived across the finish line to win gold in a stunning upset against Allyson Felix from the US who won the silver medal, and her 9th Olympic medal. On this particular day, Shaunae wanted to win so much that she was willing to dive for it. The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years. The Cleveland Cavaliers made history by defeating the Golden State Warriors to claim the NBA title, becoming the first team in history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the NBA Finals.

It’s a combination of passion and perseverance that ultimately determines who the most successful people are in business. This is why it’s so important to find a job that you love and are passionate about and persevere through challenges.