| According to recent research, firstborns average IQ is 3-4 points higher than their siblings. Should parents worry about this? "Absolutely not," says one expert, "but there are three things they need to know and act upon immediately."
New Research Shows that Firstborns have Higher IQ Then Their Siblings
According to recent research, firstborns average IQ is 3-4 points higher than their siblings. Should parents worry about this? "Absolutely not," says one expert, "but there are three things they need to know act upon today." Dr. Thomas K. Connellan, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Bringing Out the Best in Others", notes that firstborns are also over-represented among entrepreneurs, US Presidents, Rhodes Scholars, presidents of the American Psychological Association and Supreme Court justices. Twenty-one of the first 23 astronauts were firstborn. So were 45% of the female world leaders between 1960 and 1999.
"But," says Connellan, "it's not being firstborn that matters. It turns out that parents are unconsciously brilliant in raising their firstborn. There are three ways in which parents treat firstborns differently than laterborns. And once parents understand these three high performance factors, they can help all their children do better in school, outside activities and life."
Connellan notes that parents treat firstborns differently in three ways.
- They have higher expectations for the firstborn -- they're going to be senior class president.
- They give firstborns more responsibility -- money to let siblings into the movies or buy ice cream.
- They give firstborns more feedback -- more pictures, for example, are taken of the firstborn.
Because these factors are so straight forward, everyone can put them into practice. Everyone knows someone who's underperforming and the three headlines for parents, business leaders, and coaches who want to improve performance of those around them are:
- Believe in them.
- Hold them accountable and
- Give them a supportive environment.
It's because most parents, business leaders and coaches are out of balance that laterborns frequently lag in performance, says Connellan. For example, they overdo it on accountability and underdo it on support. Or vice versa.
If parents, for example, spent less time worrying about IQ and more time using those three skills on all their children, "they and their children would both be much further ahead," says Connellan, because then:
- all their children would receive the best shot at lifetime achievement
- all their children would strengthen study habits and grades.
- their lives and the lives of those close to them would be permanently changed.
Connellan is a High ROI Keynote Speaker whose clients include Marriott, FedEx, Neiman-Marcus, Sony, GE, The National Alliance for Youth Sports, and the U.S. military. He's a former Program Director and Research Associate at the University of Michigan and holds a Ph.D. in education from the University. More about him at www.tomconnellan.com.
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2007 by AlternativeApproaches.com
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