Your IQ can only take you so far....

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I have to confess that it gives me just a tiny bit of satisfaction to look back on a few of my former classmates and see that not all of those who were the 'teacher's pet' or 'destined to save the world' have in fact attained such glory. As it turns out, IQ can only take you so far.

Nicholas Kristof recently wrote a fascinating article on this topic, debunking some common myths and also shedding some light on the factors that really make a difference in the end. I highly recommend reading the whole article. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/opinion/07kristof.html But, if you want to save a few seconds I'll tell you what his research concludes: hard work and determination are what make the difference.

One of the other interesting elements to this that of ethnicity/race. He not only shares some statistics on groups like Jews or Asian-Americans, who typically do well in academic settings. But, he then adds an interesting twist. Did you know that even when you have your typical white student, with a certain IQ and then compare him with an Asian American student of a LOWER IQ, the Asian American student will still do better! Why? Kristof goes back to his original argument that within certain groups, we can see that a value for education combined with the sheer grit and determination to do well - which can actually win the day in the end....even if you don't have the highest IQ.

I read Kristof's article from a unique personal perspective - I am, myself, white. My husband, is Chinese. And, growing up, I also had lots of Asian-American friends who did fall into that typical stereo-type of over-achievers with high IQ's. I do think many of them had the benefits of 'nature' - most had parents who were obviously bright, boasting careers in medicine, banking or law. But, I have to also concede that most also worked very hard. In their families, this was a 'given'. Failure was never an option; doing well at school was always paramount.

This was likewise the case with my husband's family. He was born into poverty. But, as the title of Lee Kuan Yew's book explains, Singapore jumped from a 3rd world country to a 1st world leader in a period of less than 50 years. (Interestingly, Lee Kuan Yew himself believed that 'nature' trumped 'nurture' but that's a topic for another blog....) My husband wittnessed this transformation before his eyes. And, like so many other Singaporeans, he knew that education was the key for his future and for the future of the nation. He always worked hard. He never looked to someone else for a handout or a shortcut - he was simply driven to change the course of his life. And, he did. And, so did his brothers and sister. All are very successful today. Their parents have only a grade school education, but they set the example of hard work and then encouraged them to change their own fate through the doors that could be opened with a college degree.

I am one of those people who believes that education should be one of the highest priorities for our nation. And, I also think that education is a life-long endeavor, which means that even those of us in offices with our diplomas on the wall should continue the pursuit of knowledge. Far too many in America do not even have the opportunity for a decent education. Even more, fail to fully leverage what they DO have. Kristof shows through his research and statistics that you can go far in life if you simply work hard. I believe that the follow-on to Kristof's insights is that we cannot afford to wait for society or government to fix all the problems. We must roll-up our sleeves and do the best we can with what we've got.

I am currently working on a project for high school youth. One of the messages or learnings that I hope to pass to them is that you can go far in life, if you are driven and committed. If you have any other thoughts on this, do share them!