HOW TO Become the BEST You Can Be!

First of all, I’m sorry to inform you, “You CANNOT do or be ANYTHING you can think of.” Indeed, as a human being, you have talent limitations. But that’s okay because you can be EXCEPTIONAL at one or two things you were BORN to do. Yes, I said, “… exceptional at things you were born to do.” The following phrase sums up this thesis:

APTITUDES

are the key to unlocking society’s greatest asset:

HUMAN POTENTIAL. [1]

Let’s go back, for a moment, to our earlier discussion about problematic child rearing. Many of you recall childhood friends that received trophies for just showing up to sporting events, and in some instances, they got a trophy or ribbon even when they were on the wrong side of the final score. We all laugh at these “last place” trophy stories; however, they raise serious developmental questions. One: Is it wise to reward kids or adults for their underperformance? Absolutely not! There’s no greater disservice to a person’s development than to reward him for failure thus giving him a false sense of competence. Two: How do we help people find a true sense of their self-worth and competence?

What better way to empower people than to make them aware of their innate talents called aptitudes? I assert that aptitudes represent an area of tremendous opportunity for societal healing and advancement. What are the consequences of ignoring the potential of human aptitudes? Just pick up any newspaper; watch the evening news; or tune in to news-radio. No matter the medium, the headline stories are the same: “Billions needed for bailout of another mismanaged industry.” “Medical errors implicated as major cause of patient deaths.” “Regulators nap while Ponzi schemers trap unwary investors.” “Crime and school dropout rates continue to climb with no end in sight!” Some would argue these problems represent symptoms of a decaying civilization. Others may blame them on permissive parenting, the failure of public education, or perhaps even the excesses of capitalism. In truth, there are a variety of reasons for unethical, antisocial, uncivil, and unproductive behaviors. However, there is one aspect of society that stands out as a potential root cause-the lack of public awareness about how to identify and use our unique talents called aptitudes Aptitudes are the innate abilities people have for doing or learning certain things quickly.When one’s aptitudes are fully utilized, they give a person a competitive edge over others, which leads to greater personal fulfillment and career success. [1]

How does this work? It’s simple When you have natural abilities (a/k/a aptitudes) for something, you are successful every time you try it. And, when you’re really good at something, others see you as a top performer, a natural, or even as a superstar. Yes, just like those stars you see on TV in professional sports and entertainment. You see, these celebrity stars are no different than you except for one thing: For whatever reason, they discovered their aptitudes and began using them early in their chosen career. So, all you have to do is get your aptitudes tested and find out which ones are your strongest. Then, you can focus your efforts on getting into a career specifically matched to your strongest aptitudes. This way, you too will excel above and beyond those around you who have much weaker aptitudes in your ideal field of work.

“Okay, I’m sold.” you say. “How do I get my aptitudes tested?” The answer: At the not-for-profit Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation (JOCRF). JOCRF has been performing aptitude assessments for almost 100 years for people young and old from all walks of life. Just commit to be tested; save your money; schedule your JOCRF aptitude assessment; and spend a day and a half enjoying a unique testing process that is nothing like anything you’ve ever experienced before. What’s more, these aptitude tests have been scientifically developed to consistently and reliably predict your success in the field of work you were BORN to do. “No way!” you say. Yes, way! In fact, this is the quickest, most effective way to learn what your strongest natural talents are and how to match them to your ideal career. [2]

Furthermore, there are aptitudes for virtually every job known to humankind… and for many jobs not yet invented. [3] I firmly believe there will come a time when social and competitive pressures compel government and industry to use aptitude testing to select and place all employees. I envision a world with expanded scientific research into the identification and measurement of career aptitudes that will validate the thesis that success is a function of identifying one’s innate talents called aptitudes and matching these talents to a job that requires them.

What will drive this heightened interest in aptitude identification and utilization? Capitalistic competition, of course. When capitalism is allowed to exercise its “invisible hand,” enterprises will quickly follow the leader or else perish. As one producer in a free economy “builds a better mousetrap” with superior managers and employees, customers will “beat a path to its door,” enriching its owners. The more innovative organizations will move quickly toward aptitude testing for key positions first, eventually assessing all employees for the purpose of placing them in their ideal roles. These aptitude-centric enterprises will achieve gains in productivity, quality, and customer loyalty unheard of in their industries. Once a few pioneering organizations prove the extreme value of employee aptitude assessments, the sidelines will clear. Owners who observe this success will want the same for themselves. As go the innovative mousetraps, in the form of impeccably run enterprises, so flows capital seeking new and profitable ways to be invested. As the aforementioned transformations produce one success story after another, competitors will scramble to learn how to deploy their own aptitude-rich workforces, hoping to achieve similarly successful results.

As deployment of aptitude-aware workers occurs throughout a cyber-integrated world, employees will begin to demand assignments to the right jobs based on their unique abilities. One outcome of this movement toward better utilization of employee aptitudes will be the phenomenon of employees describing themselves as “very satisfied” or “fulfilled” in their work. In addition, organizational best practices will spread like wildfire from one organization to the next, eventually gaining the acceptance of businesses and governments everywhere. At that juncture, the proverbial genie will be out of the bottle, making employee aptitude testing a priority even for the smallest of organizations, thereby causing an explosion in the worldwide adoption of aptitudes as a means of optimizing human resources.

What this all means is that whether you’re a manager or a rank-and-file employee, the most effective use of your innate talents, your aptitudes, will become the focus of CEOs and scientists for the better part of this century and beyond. What’s the bottom line for society? In the not too distant future, the joyful use of one’s innate abilities will leave people with little time or desire to pursue activities involving lower states of consciousness that lead to social dis-ease. [1]

So, what’s not to like about a revolution that truly maximizes human potential?

[1] Natural Born Manager (Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing, 2009), pgs. 3-4, 275-8.

[2] For more information on human engineering science and to learn what scientific aptitude testing has done to improve the careers of people just like you, visit the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation homepage.

[3] “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves.” Abraham H. Maslow.

HOW TO Become the BEST You Can Be!