There is so much celebration and search for the smartest these days. The smartest student, who has aced the standardised class test is put on a pedestal. The smartest idea is showered with loans and financing. The smartest person in the room is given all the attention and recognition.

Yet, in my relatively long career in government, business and academia the probable hare-and-tortoise-race is still relevant. It is not the brightest and the fastest who finally wins the race. It is the one who is the most committed. True, one could be smart and committed too. But that’s a rare combination.

So, what is the winning skill in life?

At the most basic level it is practicing the timeless values such as integrity (tha damtsi) and karma-and-consequences (ley judrey). Assuming this is given, what more?

It is commitment.

Commitment, however, has to be directed somewhere. What do you commit to? In this article I will elaborate commitment in three areas of competency, consistency and connection.

Intelligence can be average. In some cases, being intelligent can be a liability too for, it can either breed an ego, or an expectation – or both. Most class toppers in Bhutan have rarely made it anywhere or far because they develop expectations, which often go unfulfilled. Also many intelligent people from my generation have not made it big because they became dismissive of other and others’ opinions.

Competency.

Competency starts with the fundamentals. If you are into any profession, you must ask, what are the basics and get them right. I have often been to public offices where the person manning the counter cannot respond to simple inquiries. I have been to shops where the salesperson cannot tell me a little more about the product.

Start by learning the fundamentals, and getting them right, because basics are like foundations of a building – on which one launches a successful career. It is a hard job but there is no alternative to building competency.

Consistency.

Bhutanese restaurants and hotels launch with great food and ambience only to find a dead place when you go back after a month. Consistency is not our forte. Even government plans and projects are inaugurated with much fanfare and blessings – only for them to be forgotten when the next management takes over. This is a common narrative.

Consistency requires commitment – a lot of commitment. Consistency fuels confidence in people – making success a guaranteed outcome. Consistency helps you gain trust in people around you. And trust, in this age of massive scrutiny by the social media is gold. Trust will be the most important asset in this century – not money or capital.

Connection.

I built my career on meaningful relationships – relationships that are genuine, dependable and of mutual benefit – and made through empathy and altruism, and not on exploitation, discrimination, profits or self-serving goals. Ultimately one must aim for people to say, “he or she is dependable” of you.

I treat everyone with respect – making no distinction between a millionaire or a maid, no discrimination between a CEO or a janitor. I don’t expect or extract anything from anyone other than to be helpful to each other in times of need. This approach goes with just everyone irrespective of who they are. Needless to say they pay off in terms of your reputation.

Conclusion.

Commitment to your competency by learning the fundamentals and then innovating and getting better incrementally; and commitment to consistency by staying at it – day in day out, year in year out. Malchol Gladwell suggests that if you grind 10,000 hours in anything you do, you will be the best. And finally commitment to building genuine relationships with people and giving your best.

These are the attributes one must cultivate if one wants to do well in life, love, relationships, and in careers in government, politics, or business.

If you are looking for people, or want to encourage anyone, look for the most committed – not the smartest. If you want to succeed in anything, commit! That’s all.

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

(In the picture, I had gone to visit Drugyel Dzong when this student of Drugyel School spotted me and followed me and asked me if I was ‘Sir Dorji Wangchuk 😁’. Said he reads everything I write on Facebook, blog, or on social media. I commended him that he read, which is quite uncommon among Bhutanese.

Writing consistently for many years is very challenging – taking lots of research, thinking, and sometimes even courage and grit, but pays off in little moments like this.