0:00:17.586,0:00:20.425 I've got a question for you. 0:00:20.425,0:00:26.860 Which of you was always top of the class? 0:00:31.032,0:00:35.112 All your life, top of the class? 0:00:35.112,0:00:36.424 Right. 0:00:36.424,0:00:38.946 --Liar (Laughter) 0:00:38.946,0:00:46.231 Well, in precisely 9 minutes and 30 seconds, [br]I'm going to make you proud 0:00:46.231,0:00:49.393 that you weren't always top of the class. 0:00:49.393,0:00:53.985 (Applause) 0:00:53.985,0:00:59.824 You're going to go home tonight [br]and tell your partner, your children, 0:00:59.824,0:01:01.637 your friends and relatives: 0:01:01.637,0:01:08.370 "Hallelujah, thank God, I wasn't [br]always top of my class!" 0:01:08.980,0:01:16.350 In 2007, when I started my blog, [br]I began studying the lives of several people 0:01:16.350,0:01:18.962 who were successful in their lives. 0:01:23.555,0:01:28.481 And each of them was successful in their field,[br]each one succeeded in a different way. 0:01:28.481,0:01:32.987 But there was one thing all these people shared,[br]just one thing 0:01:32.987,0:01:38.140 which intrigued me, and this was the fact 0:01:38.140,0:01:47.111 that these people, these characters --[br]none of them had been really successful at school. 0:01:47.111,0:01:54.148 And some of them had even cut short their education 0:01:54.148,0:01:57.068 and others didn't even make it to school 0:01:57.068,0:01:59.681 for long periods of time. 0:01:59.681,0:02:03.430 So this was a little worrying and [br]frustrating for me when I remembered 0:02:03.430,0:02:07.673 all those years in which parents and teachers 0:02:07.673,0:02:11.312 told us, you must work hard, you must get the best marks, 0:02:11.312,0:02:16.732 you must be one of the best [br]to get into the best higher education establishments 0:02:17.744,0:02:21.563 and in the end, I note that the reality is this: 0:02:21.563,0:02:24.665 not all those who have been successful at the school of life 0:02:24.665,0:02:28.647 were necessarily those who were top of the class. 0:02:29.066,0:02:31.633 So this meant we needed an answer to the following question: 0:02:31.633,0:02:39.812 Why isn't it necessary to succeed at school [br]in order to be successful in life? 0:02:39.990,0:02:47.105 Or even: why is there no direct link [br]between success at school 0:02:47.105,0:02:50.025 and success in life? 0:02:50.025,0:02:53.981 Because -- to mention people you know very well --[br]such as Steve Jobs 0:02:53.981,0:02:59.057 or Bill Gates who have businesses --[br]they employ people who were top of the class. 0:02:59.057,0:03:01.142 But when did they leave school? 0:03:01.142,0:03:03.232 They both dropped out 0:03:03.232,0:03:07.203 during their fresher year at university. 0:03:07.346,0:03:11.189 So how come, then, that we, [br]who try to be top of the class 0:03:11.189,0:03:15.353 end up working in businesses for people who 0:03:15.353,0:03:19.404 perhaps don't even know how to read and write? 0:03:20.187,0:03:22.684 So that's when I started looking, and luckily 0:03:22.684,0:03:28.990 I took the right approach right from the start, [br]so I couldn't - or I didn't have to - look very hard. 0:03:28.990,0:03:33.426 I started looking by identifying [br]the qualities these people share 0:03:33.426,0:03:36.742 which have allowed them to be [br]successful in life. 0:03:36.742,0:03:39.780 And I found 5 of these. 0:03:39.780,0:03:44.430 Next, I tried to see these qualities [br]in the education system 0:03:44.430,0:03:47.977 all over the world, [br]how are these qualities developed? 0:03:47.977,0:03:53.348 Or at least appreciated or accommodated[br]in the education system? 0:03:53.348,0:03:58.228 And I was shocked to find I had [br]discovered that these qualities -- 0:03:58.228,0:04:02.869 not only are they not developed[br]within the education system, 0:04:02.869,0:04:06.587 but they are even punished [br]in the education system. 0:04:06.587,0:04:12.278 In other words, if you are unlucky enough to possess one or even several of these qualities 0:04:12.278,0:04:16.986 you can be absolutely sure that you will be[br]unable to succeed in the education system. 0:04:16.986,0:04:23.062 And when you get to the workplace, [br]you will be needing these qualities. 0:04:23.062,0:04:28.732 So the first of these qualities [br]is about being passionate. 0:04:28.732,0:04:31.229 Just imagine this discussion with Einstein: 0:04:31.229,0:04:33.102 you meet Einstein and you say to him: 0:04:33.102,0:04:36.189 "Now, Einstein, it seems that you love physics, right?" 0:04:36.189,0:04:41.194 And he says to you: "No, I hate physics. [br]You know, I'm only doing physics 0:04:41.194,0:04:43.590 because my parents made me do it. 0:04:43.590,0:04:46.988 I hate it...but hey, Hamdullah, I've been lucky, 0:04:46.988,0:04:51.904 I've discovered a few theories, [br]got a Nobel prize, and all that...well, I've been lucky." 0:04:51.904,0:04:55.906 Or it could be that you could talk to Bill Gates,[br]and so you say to him: 0:04:55.906,0:04:58.745 "So, Bill Gates, it seems that [br]computers are what turn you on?" 0:04:58.745,0:05:03.078 And he says: "Nah, it's just destiny [br]that pushed me to get into computers. 0:05:03.078,0:05:06.302 Well Hamdullah, it's really taken off!" 0:05:06.302,0:05:08.425 Can you imagine this type of discussion? 0:05:08.425,0:05:12.233 It's impossible because we know [br]that these people are passionately enthusiastic. 0:05:12.233,0:05:13.671 So, what is passion? 0:05:13.671,0:05:17.672 Passion means having an emotional [br]and sentimental approach 0:05:17.672,0:05:19.988 to a job. 0:05:19.988,0:05:24.401 And if you are unfortunate enough to have[br]this quality at school, you are going to fall in love 0:05:24.401,0:05:28.109 with certain subjects, and you will work hard on those. 0:05:28.109,0:05:31.346 And you'll hate the other subjects, [br]and you won't work as hard on them. 0:05:31.346,0:05:37.025 And as soon as you get to secondary school, [br]you'll discover what we call the subject weightings. 0:05:37.025,0:05:40.455 The subject weightings - the head will never come[br]to you at the beginning of the year and say: 0:05:40.455,0:05:43.288 "So, what do you like? You like maths? [br]Ah! Let's raise its weighting. 0:05:43.288,0:05:46.948 You don't like physics? We'll bring it down." 0:05:46.948,0:05:48.660 It will never ever happen like that. 0:05:48.660,0:05:49.992 The weighting is already set. 0:05:49.992,0:05:54.634 If you're good at maths, physics and languages, [br]we take the highest weighting. 0:05:54.634,0:05:59.221 If you like geography and history, [br]and you work hard at those but you hate maths 0:05:59.221,0:06:05.341 then you'll never get a good mark,[br]or never the top mark, in the exam. 0:06:05.341,0:06:08.386 Which means you'll be hearing[br]this sort of thing all the time: 0:06:08.386,0:06:12.548 "He's a hard worker, in certain subjects, he really is very, very good. 0:06:12.548,0:06:16.287 But in other subjects, he really could do better." 0:06:16.287,0:06:21.968 That's what they're passionate about at school:[br]it's someone who could always do better. 0:06:21.968,0:06:25.981 And that's why those at the top of the class[br]have no feelings. 0:06:25.981,0:06:30.064 They have no passion.[br]They work at everything! 0:06:30.064,0:06:31.741 They work hard in every subject! 0:06:31.741,0:06:35.516 And they are good at all the subjects. 0:06:35.516,0:06:37.869 And this creates a big problem[br]for those at the top of the class. 0:06:37.869,0:06:41.582 Because later on, they can apply to study [br]medicine, law, and accountancy. 0:06:41.582,0:06:45.791 They can do it all. 0:06:45.791,0:06:47.987 At the outset, they are impressed by their abilities. 0:06:47.987,0:06:50.555 But later, when you get to work, they'll say to you: 0:06:50.555,0:06:52.038 "No, no, no: Stop!" 0:06:52.038,0:06:55.788 If you want to succeed, there are two things[br]that are very important -- primordial -- in life. 0:06:55.788,0:07:05.060 If you want to achieve happiness and excellence, [br]you must be passionate about what you do. 0:07:05.060,0:07:10.741 But without passion, you can't succeed at work, [br]or even in your personal life. 0:07:10.741,0:07:15.472 Yet at school, we've always been forced [br]to take compulsory subjects, rather than follow our passion. 0:07:15.472,0:07:19.314 Second quality: curiosity. 0:07:19.314,0:07:24.912 Curiosity is the foundation of all discovery. [br]It's curiosity that allows each of us 0:07:24.912,0:07:28.118 to discover solutions to everyday problems. 0:07:28.118,0:07:32.031 So -- how does curiosity manifest itself at school? 0:07:32.031,0:07:37.823 A curious pupil or student is someone[br]who seeks to know more. 0:07:37.823,0:07:42.946 Such a student is more likely to read what is suggested in class, to carry out their own research, 0:07:42.946,0:07:48.277 to discover new ways of solving mathematical problems. 0:07:48.277,0:07:52.783 And because this student is [br]very proud of what they do, 0:07:52.783,0:07:59.372 they are happy to have learned a lot, and will try[br]to develop their own ideas in the exam. 0:08:00.325,0:08:05.398 And if the teacher doesn't understand [br]what you are talking about, 0:08:05.398,0:08:10.068 you work really hard, you put in more energy[br]than anyone else, 0:08:10.068,0:08:14.781 you hand in a really great, highly developed paper, [br]your teacher doesn't get it, 0:08:14.781,0:08:21.956 and awards you a shockingly low mark,[br]often accompanied by the remark: Off Topic. 0:08:21.956,0:08:29.070 This is why, in the education system, [br]being top doesn't mean you are smart. 0:08:29.070,0:08:31.304 In the education system, the fact of being top 0:08:31.304,0:08:36.321 just means you have the ability to [br]cram information and then regurgitate it -- 0:08:36.321,0:08:40.142 just as it was, without developing it at all. 0:08:40.142,0:08:44.304 And then when you get to the world of work,[br]you'll be told that no, 0:08:44.304,0:08:49.037 to be able to get the third ingredient of success, [br]which is promotion at work, 0:08:49.037,0:08:54.146 each time you have to learn, train yourself, [br]look further, know more, 0:08:54.146,0:08:58.922 never settle for the information you were given at school. 0:08:58.922,0:09:03.621 And you know what the difference is, [br]between these people who didn't pass, 0:09:03.621,0:09:07.946 or who didn't complete their education system, [br]in comparison with those who did graduate? 0:09:07.946,0:09:10.670 One small difference which changes life. 0:09:10.670,0:09:15.824 In fact, those who didn't graduate [br]and who become entrepreneurs, heads of state, 0:09:15.824,0:09:23.383 or who take on big projects, they often have[br]this worry about not having known enough. 0:09:23.383,0:09:27.319 So they are constantly searching, [br]they are real self-starters. 0:09:27.319,0:09:31.915 Unlike those who sat at the top of the class and who,[br]once they've got their qualification, get gifts 0:09:31.915,0:09:36.304 and they say to themselves: "I've finished my studies." 0:09:36.304,0:09:38.631 And this is where the catastrophe lies. 0:09:38.631,0:09:42.871 Third quality: being goal-oriented. 0:09:42.871,0:09:46.769 Peter Drucker, the father of management, [br]taught us that ultimately, within companies, 0:09:46.769,0:09:51.265 it is essential to have annual, considered, goals. [br]It isn't a matter of achieving high performance and being effective 0:09:51.265,0:09:55.871 in the absolute, you have to be effective[br]and high-performing in order to achieve your objectives. 0:09:55.871,0:09:59.874 Which is, incidentally, very intelligent, [br]as well as being what the whole planet 0:09:59.874,0:10:02.713 is currently following as a managerial style. 0:10:02.713,0:10:07.831 Imagine a pupil who has the same state of mind, [br]and is also highly intelligent. 0:10:07.831,0:10:10.592 This pupil is thinking about which job they would like to do. 0:10:10.592,0:10:12.873 Which career they'd like to pursue. 0:10:12.873,0:10:17.752 They look back on their time at school, [br]deciding which marks they want to get, 0:10:17.752,0:10:20.320 what sort of work they want to do, [br]what work they can do 0:10:20.320,0:10:23.670 in order to get where they want to be. 0:10:23.670,0:10:30.592 So you say to them: "Why don't you do enough work? [br]Why don't you try to be the best in the class?" 0:10:30.592,0:10:38.907 And they say to you: "But it's not necessary. [br]Being top of the class doesn't meet my objectives." 0:10:38.907,0:10:44.472 And then the school will be saying that [br]this pupil lacks commitment. 0:10:44.472,0:10:51.471 Pupils who have visibility, [br]vision at school, are non-committed pupils. 0:10:51.471,0:10:56.514 So the school rewards only the act [br]of mixing objective and tool. 0:10:56.514,0:10:59.535 And it rewards the tool, which is the mark. 0:10:59.535,0:11:02.671 It never rewards pupils who come to say, [br]at the end of the year: 0:11:02.671,0:11:05.317 "Here are my plans for a career. [br]This is what I intend to do." 0:11:05.317,0:11:10.903 And here is the necessary energy I will deploy[br]to achieve this objective. 0:11:10.903,0:11:13.722 And I will spend the rest of the time playing, [br]because I want to play." 0:11:13.722,0:11:17.186 And this is what is never rewarded at school. 0:11:17.186,0:11:22.959 The fourth quality is creativity. 0:11:22.959,0:11:27.152 Creativity is fundamental - and yet it's the very first[br]thing they take away from you at school. 0:11:27.152,0:11:30.585 A study has shown - I'm not sure of the figures -[br]but it showed 0:11:30.585,0:11:39.345 that about 92% of the most creative people[br]in the world are less than 5 years old. 0:11:39.345,0:11:43.232 7% or 8% of creative people are over 5. 0:11:43.232,0:11:45.466 So what happened? 0:11:45.466,0:11:47.221 School happened. 0:11:47.221,0:11:53.427 School prevents the pupil or child from thinking[br]as they are used to doing, 0:11:53.427,0:11:56.903 working as they are used to working or learning. 0:11:56.903,0:12:01.671 Now it has to be done in just one way, [br]saying what has to be said, thinking in just one way 0:12:01.671,0:12:05.834 and drawing in just one way. 0:12:05.834,0:12:10.144 There are lines that must not be crossed at school. 0:12:10.144,0:12:14.922 And so later on, in a working life, people say to you: 0:12:14.922,0:12:20.191 "No, you have to be creative, innovative, [br]you must bring something new." 0:12:20.191,0:12:22.321 Even though at school, [br]we have been taught the opposite. 0:12:22.321,0:12:24.880 You've got a sheet of paper. 0:12:24.880,0:12:26.417 You've got a blank sheet of paper. 0:12:26.417,0:12:32.313 I'll just ask you to spend 10 seconds, quickly, [br]turning it into a flying object capable of flying 0:12:32.313,0:12:34.149 as effectively as possible. 0:12:34.149,0:12:36.428 10 seconds! The countdown has started. 0:12:36.428,0:12:38.424 Quick, quick, quick... 0:12:38.424,0:12:42.328 A flying object which can fly as effectively as possible. 0:12:53.145,0:12:56.988 Very good. Launch your planes, your flying objects. 0:12:56.988,0:12:59.188 Yes, that's great. 0:12:59.188,0:13:02.827 People will say they didn't like my talk. 0:13:02.827,0:13:09.224 Okay. I note that people have done that. 0:13:09.224,0:13:10.922 Did I say make a plane? 0:13:10.922,0:13:12.268 No! 0:13:12.268,0:13:18.222 No, I said to make a flying object [br]that can fly as effectively as possible. 0:13:18.222,0:13:22.143 But this flies better than that. 0:13:22.143,0:13:27.720 In other words school has prevented you from really thinking in a creative way. 0:13:27.720,0:13:30.272 How is creativity seen at school? 0:13:30.272,0:13:35.338 It's someone who draws.[br]It's someone who always asks weird questions at school. 0:13:35.338,0:13:39.225 It's someone who's always at the back, [br]it's someone who likes to address matters 0:13:39.225,0:13:42.031 that the teacher hasn't addressed. 0:13:42.031,0:13:47.894 So it's someone who is often distracted. 0:13:48.054,0:13:53.628 And this is why those at the top of the class [br]always control their creativity. 0:13:53.628,0:13:59.467 And to be top of the class, you have to [br]kill your own creativity in the education system. 0:13:59.467,0:14:03.801 The final quality is being sociable. 0:14:03.801,0:14:09.147 The act of being sociable is typified [br]at school by excessive chattering. 0:14:09.147,0:14:15.626 A pupil who is sociable, [br]whose intelligence is sociable, cannot work all alone 0:14:15.626,0:14:18.272 and look at the teacher for a whole hour. 0:14:18.272,0:14:24.073 That pupil needs a certain ambience, [br]needs to talk, needs to seek out the others beside them. 0:14:24.073,0:14:31.271 Because the absence of sociability is, for that pupil, [br]a risk, an emptiness, that is unbearable. 0:14:31.271,0:14:38.064 And the worst thing of all is that at school,[br]those who are most sociable cheat in the exams. 0:14:38.064,0:14:40.802 Why? 0:14:40.802,0:14:44.383 Not because they want to cheat [br]or because they have no morals. 0:14:44.383,0:14:51.065 It's because for them, it's a nice gesture [br]to be sociable -- even during exams. 0:14:51.065,0:14:57.065 They are unable to solve a problem all alone. 0:14:57.065,0:15:01.295 Sometimes, and we've noticed this many times, [br]pupils finish their exam 0:15:01.295,0:15:05.516 and then they wait to see if there are[br]any friends in need of help. 0:15:05.516,0:15:11.833 They say to the others: "Do you need help?"[br](Applause) 0:15:11.833,0:15:17.020 And unfortunately, this is why today[br]we have to do team building, synergy, and so on... 0:15:17.020,0:15:18.672 And it is also why it doesn't work. 0:15:18.672,0:15:26.302 Because for years, the school has confused [br]two notions: at school, synergy equals cheating. 0:15:26.302,0:15:31.267 Whereas it is in fact pure team building. 0:15:32.177,0:15:40.625 Once, a teacher caught me [br]passing my work to a classmate. 0:15:40.625,0:15:44.970 And I tried to explain to the teacher, back then, [br]that I was forced to cheat. 0:15:44.970,0:15:47.386 He said: "No, that's not good, you mustn't do it." 0:15:47.386,0:15:52.153 But I said: "But it's a friend. I can't say no to him." 0:15:52.153,0:15:56.382 He told me no: "I don't care, in the exam, [br]you have to solve your problem all alone." 0:15:56.382,0:16:01.071 I told him: "But you don't understand, [br]I can't sacrifice this friendship." 0:16:01.071,0:16:02.521 He said: "Not even if it gets you a zero?" 0:16:02.521,0:16:09.919 I said: "Yes, even if I get a zero. He's a friend.[br]And I can't sacrifice my reputation either." 0:16:09.919,0:16:16.066 It's very important for anyone who is socially intelligent,[br]who is in possession of social reasoning. 0:16:16.066,0:16:20.626 And later on, in a working life, you are told: [br]"You must do the opposite, you must never work alone." 0:16:20.626,0:16:25.781 You have to contribute to the others, you have to give the others what you know. Maintain your reputation. 0:16:25.781,0:16:30.435 So throughout your school career, [br]you're prevented from doing this. 0:16:30.435,0:16:35.986 This is why nobody like those [br]who are top of the class. 0:16:35.986,0:16:38.905 (Applause) 0:16:38.905,0:16:44.392 This is why those who are top of the class [br]have such difficulty integrating into the class. 0:16:44.392,0:16:49.636 And this is why those who are top of the class[br]are always unhappy. 0:16:49.636,0:16:55.054 And this is why, the higher you climb in the company,[br]the more team building you need to do. 0:16:55.054,0:16:59.420 Because the more these people are intelligent [br]and best in the class, the more used they are 0:16:59.420,0:17:03.468 to working alone - and the more likely they are to be at war with themselves. 0:17:03.468,0:17:05.577 Why am I talking about all this? 0:17:05.577,0:17:07.301 For one very, very important reason. 0:17:07.301,0:17:11.587 Now, we are all familiar with all of these qualities,[br]and we know that ultimately, 0:17:11.587,0:17:14.075 perhaps it's not so important in a school career. 0:17:14.075,0:17:19.616 But what is very, very dangerous as well as very important,[br]is that when you are not successful at school, 0:17:19.616,0:17:27.577 you are condemned, each year, to sitting on a bench[br]and applauding these classmates, 0:17:27.577,0:17:32.594 all the time hating them[br]because they've got prizes, and I haven't. 0:17:32.594,0:17:38.271 And what's worst of all is that after a few years, [br]all those who aren't top of the class 0:17:38.271,0:17:42.880 applaud these people all the time, all the time.[br]And they end up with the idea 0:17:42.880,0:17:48.659 that ultimately, success isn't for me,[br]perhaps I will never be successful in life. 0:17:48.659,0:17:55.753 Success is for others, it's for strange people[br]who never help their friends, who aren't liked. 0:17:55.753,0:18:00.224 That's what success is. Sometimes, we are even afraid of success. 0:18:00.224,0:18:05.754 Because success is people who are too cold, too closed, [br]and I end up putting myself among the failures. 0:18:05.754,0:18:09.644 All that changes as soon as I have [br]my first interviews for joining a company, 0:18:09.644,0:18:15.890 when I join a company, that's it -- I've taken on the idea, [br]I'm convinced that I am incapable of success 0:18:15.890,0:18:21.548 because for all these years, [br]I've never been top of the class all the time. 0:18:21.548,0:18:28.799 So now, what you must bear in mind[br]is that if you haven't succeeded, 0:18:28.799,0:18:31.672 if you haven't always been top of the class, [br]there's only one reason for this: 0:18:31.672,0:18:37.740 it's because you are a strong candidate[br]for being top in the school of life. 0:18:37.740,0:18:42.693 So turn the page, and begin a new life.[br]Thank you.