In a study done at Stanford University among top achievers, they concluded that skills is not the main factor of their success. It is about 14% - 22% of success factor is based on skills. The main contributing factor is attitude, because if someone with good attitude, skills is no longer an issue because they will overcome it by themselves if it is necessary in getting the job done.
Leading the Pyramid
What makes successful people have the drive in their life? What makes them persevere? What makes them doing things beyond what money can pay?
Diagram taken from: The Hero's Way Manual by Directive Communication
1. Skills
At the bottom of the pyramid is actually skills. At this level, people have skills but they trade their skills with money. Most of the time, either they provide single service such as plumber, barber or operator, or people who are working in a company as an operator, clerk or salesman, they trade their skills with money. Either they are paid by the job done, or they are paid per hour. What happened was if they were to do more than what has been agreed, they will claim more money. Such as over-time or some extra out-of-scope job. The key thing is, they trade skills for money and normally they are operating at an individual level.
2. Attitude
Moving up to the pyramid is people with attitude. If they have attitude, they take responsibility in their job. They are willing to do whatever it takes to provide a quality service and sometimes to delight others. Generally, people in the middle management have a good attitude. Even though without skills, they can get things done. They can coordinate, ask for help or stay back until late to ensure that things are done. They don't claim overtime and they don't complain. Chances are people with good attitude will be paid more than people with skills - which normally, companies don't allow people at middle management level to claim overtime. But they get the responsibility, they don't need that extra money to work extra mile and generally they are paid higher as compared to those operating in the skills level. People with good attitude most of the time when they don't have necessary skills to do a job, they will learn to acquire skills that needed in order to get the job done. In other word, they take responsibility and support each other to get things done.
3. Self-Actualization
At the top level, is Self-actualization level. At this stage people are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill their purpose of life. Not just their job, but their life purpose. They have a goal and a dream that they wanted to fulfill and they just do it. Sometimes, they take their own pocket money and do things without even being paid. Just because they wanted to do it, and when they did it they will feel fulfill. At this stage, normally money is the second thing, they have a deep passion and they persevere when things get very-very difficult. They don't care about what people said, but they listen to their inner voice. They just want to do great work and as a result, their work is helping other people. But once they did the work, somehow, they will earn the most. Either they earn the most money, the most respect or the most satisfaction.
Let's think about it, who operate at the level of self-actualization? These are might be some of the faces that I can recall, and of-course there are many-many more.
When is the last time that you are willing to do whatever it takes just to do things, and at the same time fulfill yourself. You are willing to spend your time and money, not knowing what you will get in return. If you understand this, you might know what will make you feel fulfill. This actually align with your inner being and can make you emotionally fulfill. It will align with your Emotional Drivers. And most of the time, people are willing to do things without being paid initially, earn the most.
Recently, Mark Chang sold the company at RM1.78 Billion. Initially his intention is just to help people to find a job. And he got mission and he was fulfill by helping people getting a job, suddenly he strike a deal of a billion. There are so many examples if you are willing to open you eyes, heart and mind, and see around people are making tonnes of money but they don't get paid monthly to settle their bills initially. At the end of the day, they are consider the highest income earner.
Understanding this concept, which one do you think we should develop ourself at?
Should we develop our skills? Or our attitude? Or should we find our self-actualization?
Which part of this pyramid make us most of the money? If we want to become the high-income nation, which part should we develop?
But I just wondering, why the government's initiative is focusing on developing skills nowadays, which is the bottom of the pyramid - in order to prepare our country to become - high-income nation by the year 2020? Because of Japanese and Korean as developed country they have a lot of high skilled workers? In my opinion Japanese and Korean what they have is a bunch of great attitude people. That is why they take their own initiative to develop their own skills. Instead of forcing people to learn skills without knowing their life purpose.
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