In 1921, a young pioneer of educational psychology at Stanford University put his new test into action. Lewis Terman was the publisher of the world’s most trusted test of intelligence. The Stanford-Binet was created as a tool to measure Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in 1916 and quickly became a trusted source of evaluation. The Stanford-Binet IQ test featured a series of reasoning and knowledge questions ultimately measuring a person’s intelligence. In the education field it is still to this day one of the most reliable measuring tools for intelligence. Five years after it’s inception, the Stanford-Binet IQ test would be used to study a group of uniquely talented young minds.
In 1921, with a huge financial backing from the Commonwealth Foundation, and help from a large group of fellow educational psychologists, Terman began to send the Stanford-Binet intelligence test out into the California state school system. California teachers were asked to nominate the brightest students their classrooms had to offer. These children were given a Stanford-Binet intelligence test, and if a student scored in the top ten percent in the state they were given a second intelligence test. Those who scored above a 130 were given a third intelligence test and out of the third group, Terman selected his group of young geniuses that went on to be known as the “Termites”
Of the 250,000 students tested in California, Terman identified 1,470 who scored an IQ score between 140 and 200 (anything above a 130 score is considered very superior intelligence). For the remainder of their lives, the Termites would be tracked and studied as researchers would periodically check in on their life. Their educational progress was tracked, their marriages were documented, their medical history was followed - including psychological health. Even every job promotion they received was recorded.
The Termites had willingly consented to being a part of the study of the potential of innate talent. What they didn’t realize is their participation would tell the world a whole lot more.
Terman was obsessed with how the lives of these childhood geniuses would progress. He believed as they were armed with advanced intelligence, the Termites would go on to break barriers in science, art, government, and education. He believed they would advance society and the world would forever be impacted by these brilliant minds. The Termites were one of the most unique collections of talent the world has ever seen. More innate talent than any other group in education, athletics, business, or creative art.
As the Termites advanced well into adulthood 730 of the participants were selected and divided into three groups.
“A” Group:
The top twenty percent fell into the “A” group. True intellectual stars, highly accomplished lawyers, physicians, engineers, and academics. Ninety percent of the A group graduated from college and 98 of the 150 “A” group members went on to earn graduate degrees. They exhibited all of the results that would have been expected with their innate intelligence revealed at a young age. They were prodigies who panned out.
“B” Group:
The middle sixty percent were placed in a “B” group who were modestly successful. Members placed in this group were not over-achievers, but certainly were not under-achievers. They were satisfactory.
“C” Group:
The remaining 150 members of the Termites were judged to have done the least with their innate superior intelligence. Some worked “ordinary” jobs despite their brilliant minds. A few postal workers, and a few accountants. Nothing wrong with those professions, but when you are deemed to be a child genius at a young age - the analysts are hoping for a little more of an atypical use of the rare intelligence capacity identified as a child. A few of the “C” group members ended up being “dead-beats” with no job at all. Only eight members of the “C” group went on to earn advanced college degrees.
After studying and collecting information about members of all of the three groupings, Terman became obsessed with finding why there was such a stark contrast between the “A” group and the “C” group. After all, they all were geniuses with IQ scores between 130 and 200 as children. They all were innately gifted with a very superior mind. All members of the groups began as prodigies, yet some developed into world class professionals, and some seemed to have squandered their blessed head-start in life.
Terman studied any possible indicator that would predict why some of the Termites went one path and others went another. He focused on physical and mental health. Their hobbies and interests. Ages when they started walking. He scoured for anything that could help solve the mystery of the Termites.
In the end, the single most influential indicator for these innately talented minds came down to one thing: family background.
When the study was completed the question was answered in regard to what the “C” group lacked. It wasn’t DNA that they lacked. It wasn’t drive or passion that they neglected to develop. The “A” group wasn’t full of more grit or desire or toughness. The “C” group ultimately lacked a secure community to grow and develop in. They lacked an environment that helped them properly prepare for the world in front of them.
The study of the Termites speaks volumes to the classic debate of whether talent is born or developed. The answer is of course - both. Talent is gifted and innate but innate talent will only take a person so far before the environment they are raised in takes over. Talent must have a secure, safe environment to flourish in - or it is “wasted.”
Lewis Terman began his study thinking he would reveal the power of innate intelligence. What Lewis Terman really gave us was a revelation of the power of environment in developing talent - or wasting talent.
What Lewis Terman revealed: there isn’t a genius in the world, a professional athlete, a musician in Carnegie Hall, or an actress on Broadway who made their way alone - they were always a byproduct of the culture they were developed in. Sure, they had innate gifting. They may have been deemed a genius at a young age or a prodigy in high school - but they couldn’t have made it to the summit - alone.
Four traits every great talent-developing culture possesses:
1.) Accountability
When much is given - much is expected. In the case of the Group “C” Termites, their environment failed them mightily. Not necessarily because of a lack of access to information or computers or a ticket to the science fair - there may have been cases of this along the way. But the most asinine failure of the environment of the Group C Termites was a complete lack of accountability for maximizing their innate talent. Accountability is one of the greatest gifts in the world. A culture that develops talent absolutely thrives on accountability. A leader hopes to foster an environment that causes members to ponder what they are going to do to maximize what they have been given. Accountability applies to the geniuses and the common folk like you and me. Accountability asks us all:
What are you going to do with what you were given?
2.) Security
A powerful culture of development starts with the freedom to make purposeful mistakes. The human brain is wired for a fight-or-flight response to a threat. When a person senses that a mistake is a threat to their security, their inclusion in the group, their identity as a member of the tribe - they will do almost anything to prevent a mistake from happening. The threat to the culture lies in an unwillingness to make a mistake. Skill building is only acquired through making purposeful mistakes. Talent must be pushed and prodded in order to expand. A guitarist must feel free to play a wrong note while testing the limits of their skill. A basketball player must feel free to miss some shots while working on their new form. A culture of development welcomes purposeful mistakes on the way to growth. There is freedom to explore without being ostracized.
3.) Trust
In many cases of the Termites who ended up squandering their brilliant minds a common denominator was the absence of an authority figure who could be trusted. Many “C” group Termites had a parent leave the family. One or more of their parents or guardians were alcoholics and out of control. Or in some cases, their parents were absent from some aspects of their social development process. They were never instructed to engage with authority figures in a healthy manner. An abuse of authority can be incredibly damaging to a development-driven culture. If a coach or leader cannot be trusted at the most basic character level the environment will have a hard time flourishing. As Terman showed, when the environment suffers, so too does the flourishing of talent.
4.) Inspiration
The case of the Termites shines a great deal of light onto the notion that it really doesn't matter what you start with. You could literally be deemed a genius at age 10, but if you don’t have some vision for where you are going and an environment to foster that vision - it’s possible you will wander aimlessly. Even a cognitive genius will end up couch-surfing without a vision to run towards. A culture that fosters talent always provides some form of vision for the future - both for the entire group and for each individual. The leader’s role is to inspire people to see a vision of the future they aren’t currently seeing in 20/20 focus.
Even a genius needs a hopeful future.
Stay The Course,
JB