Success vs. Genius: How CEOs Can Sustain Genius in the World of AI

In the 160,000 years that Homo sapiens have existed, our species has seen the rise and demise of genius millions of times over. And yet, despite those centuries of experience, the exact formula for genius remains an enigma to this day. The uncertainty and mystification that surround this concept lead C-suite executives to ask time and time again: do you need to be a genius to be successful? 

The expansion of artificial intelligence and machine learning in recent times injects even more confusion into this question. We now need to ask: how does human genius compare to the genius of AI? Is ‘genius’ a status reserved for human beings alone? And, perhaps most importantly, are geniuses still needed in today’s technological world?

What is genius?

Genius is traditionally defined as ‘an exceptionally intelligent or talented person, or one with exceptional skill in a particular area’, but this was not always the case. For centuries, ‘genius’ referred to a guardian angel or deity that watches over a person from birth, governing their fortunes and determining their character. Etymologically linked with ‘genie’ and ‘jinn’, geniuses may not have been the huge blue spirit you see in Aladdin, but they were certainly powerful magical beings.

And yet, if ‘genius’ was not originally tied to human beings or human traits specifically, why does the word cause us to think of individuals instead of computers or machines? Individuals like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Alan Turing. 

Voted ‘the greatest person of the 20th century’ in 2019, there are few who would doubt Turing’s exceptional intellect. Indeed, his most iconic and well-known breakthrough came during the Second World War when he was working in Bletchley Park: along with his fellow comrades in Hut 8, Turing worked long and hard to break German ciphers by developing a device known as Bombe. Eventually, this device was able to decipher encrypted messages from the German Enigma Machine, but it was human understanding that led to the final stroke of genius: by guessing common words and phrases in the encrypted messages (about the weather, common greetings, numbers that were spelled out, etc.), Turing and his team were able to find crucial patterns and decode the German messages. 

In other words, Turing’s genius was rooted in one simple idea instead of many complex formulations.

Perhaps then, we can define ‘genius’ as not just someone ‘with exceptional skill in a particular area’, but someone with the extraordinary ability to transform something simple into something magnificent.

How does genius relate to CEOs?

By making strategic decisions, managing operations and leading businesses from strength to strength, CEOs grant more wishes than Aladdin’s big blue genie on a day-to-day basis. But does this mean that all CEOs are geniuses? How can we transfer what we have learnt about genius to the level of the C-suite executive?

As with many strategies, what works for the individual often works for the business, and vice versa. This means that we can harness our definition of genius to gain a better understanding of what it looks like in a professional environment: if a genius person is someone who can transform something simple into something magnificent, then a genius business can do the same. 

In this way, a business must have a simple origin or purpose in order to transform into something magnificent. As a CEO, you must therefore be able to summarise your business in one simple sentence in order for it to, one day, be considered genius.

Take the multinational technology company, Google, for example. Google, in its core and for the majority of users, is a website directory platform. With that simple idea as its base, it has multiplied and thrived in other avenues, including quantum computing, consumer electronics and artificial intelligence. What’s more, Google is so ubiquitous that it graduated from a proper noun to a well-used verb that was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006 – that’s almost 20 years ago! And all because the company took one simple idea, perfected it and transformed it into something magnificent.

This pattern, of genius stemming from simplicity, is one we now see mirrored across industries and CEOs alike. A veritable sign of success, we cannot help but notice that human activity plays a significant role; we could even say that it is the common denominator of genius. 

As something that is created and monitored by human beings, AI could thus be considered ‘genius’ in the same way we consider Google to be genius. This elevates our definition of genius yet again – from ‘someone with the extraordinary ability to transform something simple into something magnificent’ to ‘something that uses human activity to transform something simple into something magnificent’.

How can CEOs create genius? 

Like any form of intelligence or talent, genius is something that is cultivated by individuals over a number of years, potentially even a lifetime. But that does not mean that genius cannot be artificially created. For, if we analyse the past patterns of genius, we see it most often marked by innovation.

Innovation is widely considered to be ‘a product, service, business model or strategy that’s both novel and useful’. It need not be comprised of one thousand smaller innovations, it must simply recombine pre-existing ideas in a new and beneficial way.  

As a CEO, the best way you can inspire innovation (and thus the makings of genius) is through a little exercise that I call ‘Somewhere in Japan’:

Imagine a group of engineers are tasked with creating a brand-new product. Instead of being told that this product does not exist yet, they are told that it exists ‘somewhere in Japan’. Inspired by the knowledge that a solution is indeed possible, these engineers stop anticipating defeat and put all of their energy into challenging the conventional. Eventually, they create an innovative product that is even better than the fictional one from “Japan”!

You see, ‘Somewhere in Japan’ is an exercise that encourages analytical thinking. It showcases how changing your mentality, your perspective, can be powerful. If you truly believe something is possible, those preoccupations of failure immediately vanish, lifting the heavy weight of doubt from your mind. By adopting the “if they can do it in Japan, why can’t I?” attitude, CEOs can pave the way for innovation and genius in their own companies.

How can CEOs sustain genius?

Many consider innovation to be the final step of a long process filled with brainstorming, analysing and countless experiments. However, for those on a path to success, innovation is actually the first rung of the ladder. With new creations constantly changing and resetting the status quo, CEOs often struggle to sustain the passionate energy that so often follows an innovation. But, if we agree that innovation is often an indicator of (or even a pre-cursor to) genius, then how can we ensure that the two are sustained within a business?

Like all genius things, the answer to this question is simple: maintain an overarching aim.

When Elon Musk – Founder and CEO of SpaceX, CEO of Tesla, Founder of X Corp, Co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI – added his ownership of X to the mix, he opened the door to a new wave of criticism which questioned his ability to lead so many organisations.

If these business ventures were completely independent from one another, perhaps I would agree with his critics. But one key fact is repeatedly overlooked: all of Musk’s projects are connected. Connected by an overarching aim. Connected to form a system.

Whether it’s batteries for electric cars, AI-powered supercomputers or rocket ships to Mars, these elements exist as part of a system that contributes towards Musk’s overarching vision of aiding humanity. 

The ultimate model for productivity, when Musk is acting in his role as CEO of SpaceX, he is also assisting work carried out at Tesla. When he is talking at a board meeting for OpenAI, Musk is assisting work carried out at X. Everything is connected. 

It is crucial that CEOs align their activities, projects and engagements to an overarching aim. This way, instead of considering your vastly different responsibilities as separate, each time you work on one thing, you are aiding another. Not only does this prevent you from spreading yourself too thin, but it transforms your every task into a productive exercise that edges you closer and closer to achieving your end-goals.

Do you need to be a genius to be successful?

If this era’s AI boom has taught us anything, it is that the importance of human understanding remains imperative. Not for achieving success necessarily – for there are multiple ways to do that – but because the true essence of ‘genius’ is dependent on it.

In today’s technological world, we mustn’t fail to lead with instinct, understanding and simple logic. We must follow in Turing, Google and Musk’s footsteps and be codebreakers, innovators and all-rounders. Remember: everything that is genius is also simple.

Written by Naila Mehrabova.

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