Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Being a Savant

Samson had his hair, Achilles had his ankle, Superman has his kryptonite, Goliath had his forehead, Icarus had the Sun, and the Death Star had the Thermal exhaust port. We all have weaknesses that can expose our otherwise perfect existence. So, it should come as no surprise that the average everyday schlep we meet has weaknesses. Nevertheless, every time you meet someone who seems to have it all together, it seems like a complete shocker when they expose to us their weakness.

The unfortunate thing is that, as humans, we have tremendous capacity to be boneheads. Nevertheless, we often fail to see our own boneheadedness. This is why the loners or people who have no outside human interaction are usually tough to befriend, because they are unaware of their own neurosis. We often don't know what we don't know.

So, as I have been meandering through life, I have a friend, whom I know to be extraordinarily good at two jobs that are only tangentially related. I have recommended to him that he should find one person to assist him in each area, and as he grows his newly formed company, hopefully he has found two Vice Presidents. This is the concept upon which the assembly line was built.

The negative thing about my friend is that he doesn't realize how truly special he is. He does not realize that the two diverse skill sets he has are so rare that finding another person with them is as likely as finding a purple goober. He wants to find that person who is just like him. But this is a reality of life, when we realize what sets us apart, we realize what gives us such a dignified value. Some even achieve the level of Savant!

I think sometimes we need that guy to point us in the correct way. Nevertheless, sometimes people thwart the attempts to assist them that are given. The reality of setting up an assembly-line approach to a company has been proven for over a century, yet some people think that the once in a lifetime talent is easier to duplicate than compliment. However, we all have complimentary needs. Flash needed food, Popeye needed Spinach, and the Green Lantern needed to avoid the color yellow.

So, when building a team of something you are great at, find someone who can pick up the slack you leave and lead you to greater heights, rather than the person who can duplicate what you already do well. Remember that if two people always act, react, and do things the same way, then at least one of them is unnecessary. If you don't act wisely in that regard, you may end up with the adjective idiot before your title Savant!

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