What qualities does it take to win the Nobel Prize in Physics

and also win Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? Nobel Prize winner George F. Smoot did just that last Friday when he won a million dollars on Are You Smarter, and, while I am sure he is plenty smart, that is not how he won.

First of all, he carefully interviewed each student to determine what they thought was their best subjects. When the question was revealed, if George Smoot new the answer he answered right away. If he did not know, or was not sure, he immediately took the answer of the student.

 

So some of the qualities would seem to be:

• Know what you know. Too often on game shows you see people who know the answer but are afraid to answer.
• Know your team members/resources.
• Trust your team.

By following this strategy from the first question, George Smoot got to the $500,000 question still having one of his lifelines-copy.

With this lifeline, he just gets to take the answer of the student he is teaming with. He wasn't sure that he knew the answer (a cappella and he did), so he took the answer of the 5th grade girl, and she was right.

He was not nervous, and seemed willing to handle it graciously win or lose. He won.

 

A even bigger quality would seem to be:

•  the willingness and temperament to take calculated risks

This was even more obvious when he went ahead with the million dollar question. He was on his own-but was cool and calm as he considered his answer. Luckily he did know that Arcadia National Park was in Maine.

  

So, even if we are not all as smart as a 5th grader, and maybe don't all have the temperment to be a risk taker, we can cultivate qualities that can help us succeed in life. Know what you know, know your team, and then trust them. Sounds like a plan.

It's Fall, so it is time to learn new things

I think that our formative years in school leave us with a life long urge to start new things in the Fall. I never have felt the same way about January 1st.

The good thing about this is that it gives you the impetus to learn new things, and start new projects. The bad part is that , especially the first few years after leaving school and being in the workforce full time, everyone is restless in the Fall. It is hard to believe that in September we don't get a fresh start. We will be going to the same workplace, seeing the same people, and for better or worse, have the same bosses. I always thought school gave us unrealistic expectations for work. I always was restless come September, wanting an all new life.

This year, I am learning about Social Networking. This blog entry is the first project.