Genius
A recent Dilbert cartoon reminded me of the concept of genius. In the cartoon, a character states that his corporate title has made him smarter. When he announces that the capital of Japan is Mitsubishi, his subordinate responds that that is the right answer and that he's a genius. This raises issues of sycophancy and the privileges of rank as well as the value of honesty in various situations but those are topics for future columns. Today I want to write about genius.
Genius is defined as an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, usually associated with creative pursuits. When I think of geniuses, I think of famous composers such as Mozart and John Philip Sousa, I think of the television producer Joss Whedon, whose great science fiction includes entire coherent worlds, including characteristics of our world as well as others. I think of artists, whose skills include both manual and intellectual skills. In fact, I think about all the talented people I've seen, including athletes, businesspeople and all the others whose skills at their chosen pursuits transcend the ordinary. The one thing I've observed them to have in common is that they have no idea where their inspiration comes from. I remember hearing that John Philip Sousa noted that the music to his most famous march came to his mind on a sea voyage, but he had no idea from where.
So where does genius, or talent if you prefer, come from? The key is in the definition: It is natural. It's there, it's not acquired, it's not learned, it can't be gained through hard work, practice, dedication or anything else we can bring to a pursuit. We either have it at birth or we don't. Geniuses typically don't possess talent in more than one pursuit so they still have to find the right pursuit (and, by the way, this is one reason I urge parents to expose their children to as many different activities as they can), and geniuses usually still work hard, honing the skills necessary to achieve the maximum results of their genius. But if we're not born with this talent, we can't work our way into it.
So what do we do if we aren't born with the talent, the genius for some pursuit? I think we must still bring the hard work, practice and dedication to whatever we're doing. We must remember that the process is more important than the result. The pleasure of doing, of trying, far exceeds the fruits of any result. And even though we aren't geniuses, we can achieve a lot. Even if we have no natural talent, we can still produce exceptional results. If we can't equal the results achieved by those with the good fortune to possess talent, we can at least appreciate their performance and learn something about how to do better in our own lives. And, by the way, our results may exceed those of a lazy genius, who doesn't put forth the maximum effort to achieve.
Keep trying. You'll either find a talent or enjoy the process without it. Either way, you'll be better off and so will your colleagues and associates.
8-15-05
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