5 qualities which make you fail at school but succeed in life - Faysal Hafidi - TEDxCasablanca
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0:17 - 0:20I've got a question for you.
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0:20 - 0:26How many of you were always top of the class?
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0:31 - 0:35All your life, top of the class?
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0:35 - 0:36Right.
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0:36 - 0:38– Liar (Laughter)
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0:38 - 0:46Well, in precisely 9 minutes and 30 seconds,
I'm going to make you proud -
0:46 - 0:49that you weren't always top of the class.
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0:49 - 0:53(Applause)
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0:53 - 0:59You're going to go home tonight
and tell your partner, your children, -
0:59 - 1:01your friends and relatives:
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1:01 - 1:08"Hallelujah, thank God, I wasn't
always top of my class!" -
1:08 - 1:16In 2007, when I started my blog,
I began studying the lives of several people -
1:16 - 1:18who were successful in their lives.
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1:23 - 1:28And each of them was successful in their field,
each one succeeded in a different way. -
1:28 - 1:32But there was one thing all these people shared,
just one thing -
1:32 - 1:38which intrigued me, and this was the fact
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1:38 - 1:47that these people, these characters --
none of them had been really successful at school. -
1:47 - 1:54Some of them had even cut short their education
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1:54 - 1:57and others didn't even make it to school
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1:57 - 1:59for long periods of time.
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1:59 - 2:03So this was a little worrying and
frustrating for me when I remembered -
2:03 - 2:07all those years in which parents and teachers
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2:07 - 2:11told us, you must work hard,
you must get the best marks, -
2:11 - 2:16you must be one of the best
to get into the best universities -
2:17 - 2:21and in the end, I note that the reality is this:
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2:21 - 2:24not all those who have been successful at the school of life
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2:24 - 2:28were necessarily those who were top of the class.
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2:29 - 2:31So this meant we needed an answer to the following question:
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2:31 - 2:39Why isn't it necessary to succeed at school
in order to be successful in life? -
2:39 - 2:47Or even: why is there no direct link
between success at school -
2:47 - 2:50and success in life?
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2:50 - 2:53Because – to mention people you know very well –
such as Steve Jobs -
2:53 - 2:59or Bill Gates who have businesses –
they employ people who were top of the class. -
2:59 - 3:01But when did they leave school?
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3:01 - 3:03They both dropped out
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3:03 - 3:07during their fresher year at university.
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3:07 - 3:11So how come, then, that we,
who try to be top of the class -
3:11 - 3:15end up working in businesses for people who
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3:15 - 3:19perhaps don't even know how to read and write?
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3:20 - 3:22So that's when I started looking, and luckily
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3:22 - 3:28I took the right approach right from the start,
so I couldn't – or I didn't have to – look very hard. -
3:28 - 3:33I started looking by identifying
the qualities these people share -
3:33 - 3:36which have allowed them to be
successful in life. -
3:36 - 3:39And I found 5 of these.
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3:39 - 3:44Next, I tried to see these qualities
in the education system -
3:44 - 3:47all over the world,
how are these qualities developed? -
3:47 - 3:53Or at least appreciated or accommodated
in the education system? -
3:53 - 3:58I was shocked to find I had
discovered that these qualities – -
3:58 - 4:02not only are they not developed
within the education system, -
4:02 - 4:06but they are even punished
in the education system. -
4:06 - 4:12In other words, if you are unlucky enough to possess one or even several of these qualities
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4:12 - 4:16you can be absolutely sure that you will be
unable to succeed in the education system. -
4:16 - 4:23And when you get to the workplace,
you will be needing these qualities. -
4:23 - 4:28So the first of these qualities
is about being passionate. -
4:28 - 4:31Just imagine this discussion with Einstein:
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4:31 - 4:33you meet Einstein and you say to him:
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4:33 - 4:36"Now, Einstein, it seems that you love physics, right?"
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4:36 - 4:41And he says to you: "No, I hate physics.
You know, I'm only doing physics -
4:41 - 4:43because my parents made me do it.
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4:43 - 4:46I hate it...but hey, Hamdullah, I've been lucky,
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4:46 - 4:51I've discovered a few theories,
got a Nobel prize, and all that...well, I've been lucky." -
4:51 - 4:55Or you could talk to Bill Gates,
and so you say to him: -
4:55 - 4:58"So, Bill Gates, it seems that
computers are what turn you on?" -
4:58 - 5:03And he says: "Nah, it's just destiny
that pushed me to get into computers. -
5:03 - 5:06Well Hamdullah, it's really taken off!"
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5:06 - 5:08Can you imagine this type of discussion?
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5:08 - 5:12It's impossible because we know
that these people are passionately enthusiastic. -
5:12 - 5:13So, what is passion?
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5:13 - 5:17Passion means having an emotional
and sentimental approach -
5:17 - 5:19to a job.
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5:19 - 5:24And if you are unfortunate enough to have
this quality at school, you are going to fall in love -
5:24 - 5:28with certain subjects, and you will work hard on those.
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5:28 - 5:31And you'll hate the other subjects,
and you won't work as hard on them. -
5:31 - 5:37As soon as you get to secondary school,
you'll discover what we call the subject weightings. -
5:37 - 5:40The subject weightings - the head will never come
to you at the beginning of the year and say: -
5:40 - 5:43"So, what do you like? You like maths?
Ah! Let's raise its weighting. -
5:43 - 5:46You don't like physics? We'll bring it down."
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5:46 - 5:48It will never ever happen like that.
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5:48 - 5:49The weighting is already set.
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5:49 - 5:54If you're good at maths, physics and languages,
we take the highest weighting. -
5:54 - 5:59If you like geography and history,
and you work hard at those but you hate maths -
5:59 - 6:05then you'll never get a good mark,
or never the top mark, in the exam. -
6:05 - 6:08Which means you'll be hearing
this sort of thing all the time: -
6:08 - 6:12"He's a hard worker, in certain subjects,
he really is very, very good. -
6:12 - 6:16But in other subjects,
he really could do better." -
6:16 - 6:21That's what they're passionate about at school:
it's someone who could always do better. -
6:21 - 6:25And that's why those at the top of the class
have no feelings. -
6:25 - 6:30They have no passion.
They work at everything! -
6:30 - 6:31They work hard in every subject!
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6:31 - 6:35And they are good at all the subjects.
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6:35 - 6:37And this creates a big problem
for those at the top of the class. -
6:37 - 6:41Because later on, they can apply to study
medicine, law, and accountancy. -
6:41 - 6:45They can do it all.
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6:45 - 6:47At the outset, they are impressed by their abilities.
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6:47 - 6:50But later, when you get to work, they'll say to you:
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6:50 - 6:52"No, no, no: Stop!"
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6:52 - 6:55If you want to succeed, there are two things
that are very important – primordial – in life. -
6:55 - 7:05If you want to achieve happiness and excellence,
you must be passionate about what you do. -
7:05 - 7:10Without passion, you can't succeed at work,
or even in your personal life. -
7:10 - 7:15Yet at school, we've always been forced
to take compulsory subjects, rather than follow our passion. -
7:15 - 7:19Second quality: curiosity.
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7:19 - 7:24Curiosity is the foundation of all discovery.
It's curiosity that allows each of us -
7:24 - 7:28to discover solutions to everyday problems.
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7:28 - 7:32So – how does curiosity manifest itself at school?
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7:32 - 7:37A curious pupil or student is someone
who seeks to know more. -
7:37 - 7:42Such a student is more likely to read what is suggested in class, to carry out their own research,
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7:42 - 7:48to discover new ways of solving mathematical problems.
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7:48 - 7:52And because this student is
very proud of what they do, -
7:52 - 7:59they are happy to have learned a lot, and will try
to develop their own ideas in the exam. -
8:00 - 8:05And if the teacher doesn't understand
what you are talking about, -
8:05 - 8:10you work really hard, you put in more energy
than anyone else, -
8:10 - 8:14you hand in a really great, highly developed paper,
your teacher doesn't get it, -
8:14 - 8:21and awards you a shockingly low mark,
often accompanied by the remark: Off Topic. -
8:21 - 8:29This is why, in the education system,
being top doesn't mean you are smart. -
8:29 - 8:31In the education system, the fact of being top
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8:31 - 8:36just means you have the ability to
cram information and then regurgitate it – -
8:36 - 8:40just as it was, without developing it at all.
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8:40 - 8:44And then when you get to the world of work,
you'll be told that no, -
8:44 - 8:49to be able to get the third ingredient of success,
which is promotion at work, -
8:49 - 8:54each time you have to learn, train yourself,
look further, know more, -
8:54 - 8:58never settle for the information you were given at school.
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8:58 - 9:03And you know what the difference is,
between these people who didn't pass, -
9:03 - 9:07or who didn't complete their education system,
in comparison with those who did graduate? -
9:07 - 9:10One small difference which changes life.
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9:10 - 9:15In fact, those who didn't graduate
and who become entrepreneurs, heads of state, -
9:15 - 9:23or who take on big projects, they often have
this worry about not having known enough. -
9:23 - 9:27So they are constantly searching,
they are real self-starters. -
9:27 - 9:31Unlike those who sat at the top of the class and who,
once they've got their qualification, get gifts -
9:31 - 9:36and they say to themselves: "I've finished my studies."
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9:36 - 9:38And this is where the catastrophe lies.
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9:38 - 9:42Third quality: being goal-oriented.
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9:42 - 9:46Peter Drucker, the father of management,
taught us that ultimately, within companies, -
9:46 - 9:51it is essential to have annual, considered goals.
It isn't about being efficient and effective -
9:51 - 9:55in the absolute, just effective and efficient
enough to achieve your objectives. -
9:55 - 9:59Which is, incidentally, very intelligent,
as well as being what the whole planet -
9:59 - 10:02is currently following as a managerial style.
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10:02 - 10:07Imagine a pupil who has the same state of mind,
and is also highly intelligent. -
10:07 - 10:10This pupil is thinking about which job
they would like to do. -
10:10 - 10:12Which career they'd like to pursue.
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10:12 - 10:17They look back on their time at school,
deciding which marks they want to get, -
10:17 - 10:20what sort of work they want to do,
what work they can do -
10:20 - 10:23in order to get where they want to be.
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10:23 - 10:30So you say: "Why don't you work enough?
Why don't you try to be the best in the class?" -
10:30 - 10:38They reply: "But it's not necessary.
Being top of the class doesn't meet my objectives." -
10:38 - 10:44And the school will be saying that
this pupil lacks commitment. -
10:44 - 10:51Pupils who have insight,
vision at school, appear as non-committed. -
10:51 - 10:56The school rewards only the act
of mixing objective and tool. -
10:56 - 10:59It rewards the tool, which is the mark.
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10:59 - 11:02It never rewards pupils who come to say,
at the end of the year: -
11:02 - 11:05"Here are my plans for a career.
This is what I intend to do." -
11:05 - 11:10And here is the necessary energy I will deploy
to achieve this objective. -
11:10 - 11:13And I will spend the rest of the time playing,
because I want to play." -
11:13 - 11:17This is what is never rewarded at school.
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11:17 - 11:22The fourth quality is creativity.
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11:22 - 11:27Creativity is fundamental – yet it's the very first
thing they take away from you at school. -
11:27 - 11:30A study has shown – I'm not sure of the figures –
but it showed -
11:30 - 11:39that about 92% of the most creative people
in the world are less than 5 years old. -
11:39 - 11:437% or 8% of creative people are over 5.
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11:43 - 11:45So what happened?
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11:45 - 11:47School happened.
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11:47 - 11:53School prevents the pupil or child from thinking
as they used to do, -
11:53 - 11:56working as they used to work or learn.
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11:56 - 12:01Now it has to be done in just one way,
saying what has to be said, -
12:01 - 12:05thinking and drawing in just one way.
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12:05 - 12:10There are lines that must not be crossed at school.
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12:10 - 12:14So later on, in a working life, people say to you:
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12:14 - 12:20"No, you have to be creative, inventive,
you must bring something new." -
12:20 - 12:22Even though at school,
we have been taught the opposite. -
12:22 - 12:24You all have a sheet of paper.
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12:24 - 12:26You've got a blank sheet of paper.
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12:26 - 12:32I'm asking you in 10 seconds, quickly,
turn it into a flying object capable of flying -
12:32 - 12:34as effectively as possible.
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12:34 - 12:3610 seconds! The countdown has started.
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12:36 - 12:38Quick, quick, quick...
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12:38 - 12:42A flying object which can fly as effectively as possible.
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12:53 - 12:56Very good. Launch your planes, your flying objects.
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12:56 - 12:59Yes, that's great.
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12:59 - 13:02People will say they didn't like my talk.
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13:02 - 13:09Okay. I note that some people have done it.
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13:09 - 13:10Did I say make a plane?
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13:10 - 13:12No!
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13:12 - 13:18No, I said to make a flying object
that can fly as effectively as possible. -
13:18 - 13:22But this flies better than that.
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13:22 - 13:27In other words school has prevented you from really thinking creatively.
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13:27 - 13:30How is creativity seen at school?
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13:30 - 13:35It's someone who draws.
It's someone who always asks weird questions at school. -
13:35 - 13:39It's someone who's always at the back,
it's someone who likes to address matters -
13:39 - 13:42that the teacher hasn't addressed.
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13:42 - 13:47So it's someone who is often distracted.
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13:48 - 13:53And this is why those at the top of the class
always control their creativity. -
13:53 - 13:59To be top of the class, you have to
kill your own creativity in this education system. -
13:59 - 14:03The final quality is being sociable.
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14:03 - 14:09The act of being sociable is typified
at school by excessive chattering. -
14:09 - 14:15A pupil who is sociable,
whose intelligence is sociable, cannot work all alone -
14:15 - 14:18and look at the teacher for a whole hour.
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14:18 - 14:24That pupil needs a certain ambience,
needs to talk, needs to seek out the others beside them. -
14:24 - 14:31Because the absence of sociability is, for that pupil,
a risk, an unbearable emptiness. -
14:31 - 14:38And the worst thing is that at school,
those who are most sociable cheat in the exams. -
14:38 - 14:40Why?
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14:40 - 14:44Not because they want to cheat
or because they have no morals. -
14:44 - 14:51It's because for them, it's a nice gesture
to be sociable – even during exams. -
14:51 - 14:57They are unable to solve a problem all alone.
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14:57 - 15:01Sometimes, and we've noticed this many times,
pupils finish their exam -
15:01 - 15:05and they wait to see if there are
any friends in need of help. -
15:05 - 15:11They say to the others: "Do you need help?"
(Applause) -
15:11 - 15:17And unfortunately, this is why today
we have to do team building, synergy, and so on... -
15:17 - 15:18It is also why it doesn't work.
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15:18 - 15:26Because for years, the school has confused
two notions: synergy, at school equals cheating. -
15:26 - 15:31Whereas it is in fact pure team building.
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15:32 - 15:40Once, a teacher caught me
passing my work to a classmate. -
15:40 - 15:44And I tried to explain to the teacher, back then,
that I was forced to cheat. -
15:44 - 15:47He said: "No, that's not good, you mustn't do it."
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15:47 - 15:52But I said: "But it's a friend. I can't say no to him."
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15:52 - 15:56He said: "No, I don't care, in the exam
you have to solve your problem all alone." -
15:56 - 16:01I told him: "But you don't understand,
I can't sacrifice this friendship." -
16:01 - 16:02He said: "Not even if it gets you a zero?"
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16:02 - 16:09I said: "Yes, even if I get a zero. He's a friend.
And I can't sacrifice my reputation either." -
16:09 - 16:16It's important for anyone who is socially intelligent,
capable of social reasoning. -
16:16 - 16:20And later on, in a working life, you are told:
"You must do the opposite, you must never work alone." -
16:20 - 16:25You have to contribute to the others, give others what you know. Maintain your reputation.
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16:25 - 16:30So throughout your school career,
you're prevented from doing this. -
16:30 - 16:35This is why nobody likes those
who are top of the class. -
16:35 - 16:38(Applause)
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16:38 - 16:44This is why those who are top of the class
have such difficulty integrating into the class. -
16:44 - 16:49This is why those who are top of the class
are always unhappy. -
16:49 - 16:55This is why, the higher you climb in the company,
the more team building you need to do. -
16:55 - 16:59Because the more these people are intelligent
and best in the class, the more used they are -
16:59 - 17:03to working alone – and the more likely they are to be at war with themselves.
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17:03 - 17:05Why am I talking about all this?
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17:05 - 17:07For one very, very important reason.
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17:07 - 17:11Now, we are all familiar with all of these qualities,
and we know that ultimately, -
17:11 - 17:14perhaps it's not so important in a school career.
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17:14 - 17:19But what is very dangerous as well as very important,
is that when you are not successful at school, -
17:19 - 17:27you are condemned, each year, to sitting on a bench
and applauding these classmates, -
17:27 - 17:32all the time hating them
because they've got prizes, and I haven't. -
17:32 - 17:38And what's worst is that after a few years,
all those who aren't top of the class -
17:38 - 17:42applaud these people all the time, all the time.
And they end up with the idea -
17:42 - 17:48that ultimately, success isn't for me,
perhaps I will never be successful in life. -
17:48 - 17:55Success is for others, it's for strange people
who never help their friends, who have no feelings. -
17:55 - 18:00That's what success is. Sometimes, we are even afraid of success.
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18:00 - 18:05Because success is people who are too cold, too closed,
and I end up putting myself among the failures. -
18:05 - 18:09All that changes as soon as I have
my first interviews for joining a company, -
18:09 - 18:15when I join a company, that's it -- I've taken on the idea,
I'm convinced that I am incapable of success -
18:15 - 18:21because for all these years,
I've never been top of the class all the time. -
18:21 - 18:28So now, what you must bear in mind
is that if you haven't succeeded, -
18:28 - 18:31if you haven't always been top of the class,
there's only one reason for this: -
18:31 - 18:37it's because you are a strong candidate
for being top in the school of life. -
18:37 - 18:42So turn the page, and begin a new life.
Thank you.
- Title:
- 5 qualities which make you fail at school but succeed in life - Faysal Hafidi - TEDxCasablanca
- Description:
-
How come leaders and the people who inspire us aren't necessarily those who were successful at school?
In a high-energy talk, Faysal Hafidi introduces us to the 5 qualities which result in failure at school but success in life.
- Video Language:
- French
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 19:02