Successful entrepreneurs aren't necessarily 'A' students

A common adage in the entrepreneurial world tells us that "A" students teach "B" students to work for "C" students. Read that again and let it soak in.

Research by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. involving more than 5,000 entrepreneurs indicates that successful entrepreneurs are generally not top students in scholastic endeavors. Like any rule there are exceptions. But often this adage bears out.

Why? Think about it. In the standard educational system in the United States, students excel based on their performance on examinations and standardized tests. Generally speaking, these top academic performers do not need to develop their social skills — their people skills — in order to excel. Sometimes they do, but they do not have to do so.

However, those who do not naturally excel in academics have to develop other traits and capabilities — humor, persuasiveness, street smarts or creativity — in order to excel, often becoming more developed as human beings and natural leaders. As they are rewarded for developing these skills, they learn how to use these talents to compete.

It should be no surprise to us that President George W. Bush was a "C" student at Yale University. Yet, he is president of the most powerful nation in the history of the world.

Families across America will see this in their own families. Take two brothers who are at polarized ends of this spectrum. One brother excels in school, gets scholarships, scores high on exams and is a little introverted.

The second brother is gregarious, outgoing, popular and is a leader who others follow — but he is at best an average student who talks teacher after teacher into giving him a second chance until he satisfactorily passes.

Some people call these non-academic skills "emotional intelligence." This is an academic term and is the subject of much study. In entrepreneurship, we call it the "entrepreneurial quotient." It's actually a complex measure (with sometimes seemingly conflicting inferences) of family backgrounds, experiences, motivations, personality traits, behaviors, values and beliefs.

As I understand it, attorneys have the highest average I.Q. scores of any profession. But the economy often rewards the college drop-out who starts his own company far in excess of a career lawyer. Certainly, savvy "C" students surround themselves with plenty of "A" students on salary to handle the textbook stuff.