Summary

The author argues that being average can be a unique advantage, particularly in teaching, coaching, and entrepreneurship, as it fosters a deeper understanding and empathy for others facing similar challenges.

Abstract

The article on the undefined website discusses the often-overlooked benefits of being average. The author, reflecting on a conversation with Teddy Atlas, suggests that average individuals often develop a stronger grasp of fundamentals and learning processes, which equips them to effectively teach and coach others. This is because they've had to work through challenges that naturally gifted individuals may not have faced. The author emphasizes the importance of learning how to learn and the power of empathy that average individuals possess, which can make them better coaches, managers, and entrepreneurs. Examples include Satya Nadella's success through empathy and Mark Zuckerberg's understanding of the need for a platform for those who struggle with real-world interactions.

Opinions

Being average is presented as a competitive advantage in professional settings because it allows individuals to connect with and understand the majority of people.
The author posits that exceptional athletes or individuals with innate talents may struggle to teach their skills due to their intuitive understanding, which is difficult to convey.
Average individuals, through rigorous practice and overcoming personal challenges, learn effective strategies that can be shared with others, such as in habit development or skill acquisition.
The article suggests that personal struggles with learning or behavior can be transformed into a superpower for teaching and coaching, as it fosters empathy and practical knowledge.
The author believes that the most successful coaches, managers, and entrepreneurs are those who can relate to the average person's experiences and challenges.

You Say Being Average Sucks. I Think It’s Quite The Opposite

Being average is my competitive advantage in the professional world. Make it yours too.

Last night, I was watching this interview with Teddy Atlas, the legendary coach who trained the likes of Mike Tyson and Wilfred Benítez. What he shared in those 5 minutes kept me awake for some time, allowing me to reflect on the message he conveyed.

In the video, he explained why great boxers don’t necessarily become great coaches.

Those athletes that are great — they just know things innately, naturally, instinctively — it just comes to them.

But they don’t know how to explain that to an audience. They can’t break it down. The sport always came naturally to them.

Teddy’s argument was simple. The best athletes have an almost intuitive understanding of their sport.

Take Magnus Carlsen for example. People close to him say he memorized the names of all the countries in the world by the time he was 5, with capitals, populations, area, and flags. He would look at a random chess arrangement and recount an international chess match within the last decade that had a similar arrangement. The guy’s got a photographic memory.

Looking back into my life, I’ve time and again come across, and worked with super-smart people who just happened to have an intuitive understanding of certain things or topics.

I once took this course on Engineering Visualization in college. While I struggled initially and had to master the fundamentals to succeed in the course, some individuals would perfectly visualize 3-D objects from all those different angles and perspectives.

When I asked them for tips, I didn’t generally get advice that I could implement for myself. Not because they avoided spilling their secrets, but simply because the way their brain worked in visualization was different from the way mine did.

Enough with these exceptional people. Let’s talk about us, the average folks.

Now, before we go ahead, let me be clear: I am not gonna tell you how to become “that super-smart guy” because frankly even I don’t know how to do that and if that’s even possible to achieve.

But I can probably tell you something better. I will help you harness the superpower you already have at your disposal.

The power of belonging to the commons.

So how is it exactly an advantage? Hear Teddy on this.

The great coaches — they often have to compensate for their lack of intuitive understanding or talent by rigorously practicing the fundamentals. They will have to reconfigure their brain to understand the process and become keen observers of the sport. It’s this handicap that offers them the tools to help others get better at what they do.

So, here’s my take on it. When you work hard enough to make a transition in something from being average to being in the top percentile, not only do you learn the trade, but you also learn how to learn.

I’ve been advising and coaching people to help them build better habits. I create habit curriculums and challenges to make the process of habit development interesting and achievable for them. I also share tips and strategies to help them overcome their inherent behavioral roadblocks.

But how do I know what works, and what doesn’t?

Because I faced those internal demons. And I struggled.

I worked my ass off to fight my inherent lazy traits.

I researched, practiced, made mistakes, and learned from them. And all of this learning made it possible for me to share my practical advice with others.

A natural early-riser, a naturally athletic person, and a natural networker won’t probably relate to the problems you and I have.

I had to learn how to learn. And I did.

Being average in something makes it easier for you to connect with the average Joe. It gives you the ability to empathize. I once discussed how Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella attributed his success to empathy.

Whether you’re a music instructor, a fitness coach, or a consultant, chances are you’ll be a better coach if you followed Teddy’s advice.

And it isn’t just limited to teaching or jobs that involve some form of teaching.

Being average would make you a better manager because you could understand your teammates better.

It makes you a better entrepreneur because you now understand the majority of your customers better.

It isn’t a coincidence that the largest social media platform of the world was built by the highly-introverted Mark Zuckerberg. He related to those who struggled to talk in the real world and invented something for them.

Alex Lieberman, the founder of Morning Brew realized the pain of the average person in reading boring news articles. He started writing easy-to-read articles and his company is now valued at over 25 million dollars.

So the next time you suck at something, remember our discussion.

It’s the average who suffer in the existing systems.

It’s the average who need help.

It’s the average who consume most of the content online.

And only we have the power to connect with them and create something that helps them.

This is OUR competitive advantage.