The naturally gifted are everywhere. Yet we only truly notice them when they effortlessly trump our best efforts. From a students perspective, I see individuals casually compare 90 and higher averages on midterms that they never studied for where the class median was 53 percent. As an athlete that competes internationally (and sometimes wins), I cannot help but notice those that seem to casually shrug off advice, do a slack warm up, never even bother to look over their equipment and then proceed towin their respective events. The Australian Sports Commission wrote an article detailing exactly how phenoms operate.
In the business world, phenomenal individuals exist as well. In sales, they are the ones with the toothy golden smiles that close every deal, in operations, the guys that can effortlessly “turn around” a failing system, and in finances, they are the individuals who can seemingly make money appear out of thin air. Everyone wishes they were like them.
I don’t think they are good for much.
You heard me. All the talent on earth doesn’t make up for a dedicated, constant, and irrepressible work ethic. The ability to sit down and grind is invaluable to businesspeople, regardless of the task that they face, because I guarantee that one day, in the Big Leagues, the golden smiled salesman is going to go toe to toe with a guy who’s got teeth that shine just as brightly, yet put in his hours and made the best proposal anyone has ever seen. That guy, the one who worked for it, will get the deal and the naturally talented will fall to the wayside. Play it smart; hire someone willing to do the grind.