If you are like me, I’d guess you would have at some point in your life taken as many IQ test as you could find. Just wanting to ascertain at what level in the band your intelligence or geekiness fits in. Now, how that helps is where I’m still at a loss. Did that knowledge help me understand Bernouli’s equation better, or disprove the Runge-Kutta theory or confirm that the world is round? I’m not so sure!
That leaves me with the question of how relevant ones intelligence and smartness, in this sense, is to becoming successful in life? In this part of the world, there is that drive of everyone wanting his or her kid to be the smartest in class and at the slightest deviation from it, we get frustrated and depressed. We read all forms of genius meaning even to the kids normal interactions. Infact, we all know our parents were all always the first in their classes, which leaves the young kids who did not get the opportunity to be first without a role model to show them how to be truly successful without being book smart.
Truth be told, I’d like my kids to be mentioned when the smartest and brightest are being discussed but will I choke if they are not, I doubt it! Why, you might ask? Very simple. I’ve realised that genius is displayed differently in everyone. I’ve seen too many strange and bizzare things around me, which has brought me to that conclusion. We all have something working for us, no matter how often we miss that truth.
I’ve seen the smart young world chess champion with exceptional IQ, who is quite seclusive and always alone in his thoughts. I’ve seen the youngest genius who at the age of 4 speaks four languages and could solve integral maths – missing a good childhood I suppose. On the flip side, I’ve also seen people who were given up on as kids, run some of the biggest companies successfully or create wealth out of the shadows by sheer street smartness and exceptional leadership qualities.
My point is this – do not fret if your kid is proving not to be the Einstein you thought he was, or probably not even the one who will find the cure to HIV. More importantly, realize he’s got something working for him which if fanned and nurtured will stand him out. We cut their wings too quickly and they never realize either their own potential or your own desired potential for them. After all, why take things so seriously!!!
I am the author of Scaling for Success: Empowering African SMEs. I am a Partner at Sahel Capital, a food and agriculture-focused private investment firm in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sahel Capital manages the Fund for Agriculture Financing in Nigeria (FAFIN) and the Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA).
I co-lead SEFAA, an impact-first fund investing in agribusinesses that provide direct or indirect benefits to smallholder farmers across 13 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I also lead investments and portfolio management for SEFAA and manage FAFIN portfolios, two of which were recently exited. I am a director on the board of one of the portfolio companies and serve in advisory roles for several startups and SMEs.