Is common sense a trait a person is born with，or can you do something to increase it?The oil man’s answer is that common sense can definitely be developed.He attributes his to learning how to debate in school.Another way toincrease your store of common sense is to observe it in others，learning from their and your own—mistakes.
Knowing one’s field After common sense，specialized knowledge in one’s field is the second most common trait possessed by the respondents，with threefourths giving themselves an A in this category.
Geologist Philip Oxley，former president of Tenneco Oil Exploration and Production Co.and now chairman of Tenneco Europe，attributes his success to having worked in the oil fields，by“sitting on wells and bird-dogging seismic crews，”he learned the tricks of the trade firsthand.“People，who are going to be good managers need to have a practical understanding of the crafts in their business.”he says.Today his expertise earns him a six-figure salary.
On-the-job experience convinced people the importance of specialized knowledge.He says that“understanding why my equipment performs the way it does”is part of his success formula.A noteworthy point：he obtained his specialized knowledge through selfeducation and not through formal schooling.
Self-reliance Top achievers rely primarily on their own resources and abilities.Seventy-seven percent give themselves an A rating for this trait.Self-reliance is not how you feel or how good you are;rather，it’s whether you have the gumption to take definitive action to get things moving in your life.It includes plain old willpower and the ability to get goals.
Two-thirds of the respondents say they’ve had clear goals for their lives and careers.And half of those we interviewed give themselves an A in willpower.
Among other capabilities，willpower encompasses the ability to be a self-starter and to persevere after a project has begun.
General intelligence—This is essential for outstanding achievement because it involves your natural ability to comprehend difficult concepts quickly and to analyze them clearly and incisively.At least that’s the way our respondents see it—43 percent said it was a very important ingredient of their success，and another 52 percent said it was fairly important.
Ability to get things done Nearly three-fourths of our high achievers rank themselves“very efficient”in accomplish tasks.And they agree that at least three important qualities have helped them to do so：organizational ability，good work habits and diligence.
A physics professor summarizes his success formula this way：“Sheer hard，tenacious work，with the ability to pace oneself.”He admits working up to 100 hours a week.
Besides the five listed here，there are other factors that influence success：leadership，creativity，relationships with others，and，of course，luck.But common sense，knowing your field，self-reliance，intelligence and the ability to get things done stand out.If you cultivate these traits，chances are you’ll succeed.And you might even find yourself listed in Who’s Who someday.
