You Need The Right People, Not The Best People

More often than not, success in life is not a function of how intelligent you are or how talented you are, but it can come by reason of the kind of people you are surrounded with. A lot of people chase after "the best" individuals, or the smartest people, or the most talented, or even the most accomplished people. But what they fail to understand is that having the right people around you is much more important than having the best people. The people who will make impact in your life may not even be those who you expect, but they may be the right people for you.

I remember what happened while I was in secondary school many years ago. There was a particular subject that was "project-based learning," where students would be required to undertake important tasks, after which they would be graded. It was designed in a way that they were paired in groups of 10 students per group. Then one particular group had some of the talented students in that particular task, which was related to artistry. Everyone would have thought that they would do excellently well because of the calibre of talents in the group. In fact, they nicknamed themselves "the best movers." They posed threats to the other groups, and the sight of them sent strong messages to others.

However, even in all these, as much as they looked like the best, they were far from being the right people for the group. In fact, they argued over every single thing, they lacked unity and cooperation. Every member wanted their own idea to be the one to be adopted, and this made them heavily divided. But there was another group which had very average students, but they were united and cooperative in almost everything. When the task was over and the results were graded, shockingly, the team of the average students beat the other team that was considered the best. The strength of the team that won was not in intelligence, neither was it in talent, but it was about having the right people who worked together effectively.

A lot of people define the "best people" from the place of societal standards; like highly skilled or talented individuals, high achievers, or people of influence. It is true that these qualities are valuable, but they do not guarantee understanding, shared purpose, and loyalty. Just to let you know; someone can be very talented, yet extremely selfish, toxic, and disconnected from your wellbeing and your vision. On the other hand, the right people may not look at it at the first glance, but they can deliver something that is very important, and will align with your vision.

The right people will understand your goals and believe in your dreams, and even in your journey. They do not just stay when things are easy, but they also stay when challenges come. They give you their support, correct you when necessary, and also celebrate your wins without seeing you as a threat and without being jealous of your success. They are not just committed to their own success but also to your own success. They would want to see you win too. It is this kind of connection that builds trust. Of course you know that trust is very important for any meaningful relationship to stand.

The right people will also help you to grow. They will be honest with you, but not because they want to bring you down, but because they want you to improve, grow, and become better. They will even challenge you in a very healthy way, so that you will become a better version of yourself. The people that will help you to achieve your goal may not look like it in the first place, but over time, you will realise their worth. You need to bear in mind that achieving success in life is not a solo journey, so you need people around. It is the people that you walk with that will determine how far you will go in life.

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