| Trait |
Early Aptitude Indicators |
Developmental Opportunities |
| Analytical |
- Uses unusual logic to win arguments. (“No point in driving me to school today. Think of the wasted gasoline, extra pollution and possible exposure to flu viruses.“)
- Frequently screams “show me the data” when angry, hungry or a diaper needs changing.
- Always sorts relatives and friends into two or more categories to better understand their needs and manipulate them skillfully.
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- Enroll child in this class: Boolean Algebra for Babies.
- Encourage child to set up a lemonade stand and use accrual-based accounting methods to manage the business.
- Bedtime reading: Three Little Pigs Explore Three Little Market Segments.
|
| Goal Focused |
- Wants the most expensive iPad model and is willing to negotiate terms to get it. (“How many times will I need to mow the lawn and clean my room before you buy it?“)
- Makes a career choice at age 5, and sticks to it.
- Won’t take “no” for an answer when requesting a chocolate bar.
|
- Enroll child in this class: My Infantile Obsession is a Virtue.
- Keep cookie jar visible in the kitchen, just out of reach.
- Bedtime reading: Thomas the Train Hauls a Big Enterprise Goal Up a Steep Mountain.
|
| Experiment & Optimize |
- Loves shopping at Toys R Us, but wants to evaluate alternatives at home before an unconditional commitment. (“If I don’t like it, can I bring it back for a full refund?”)
- Enjoys mixing random household chemicals together to see the result.
- Takes apart mechanical and electronic devices to “improve” them.
|
- Enroll child in this class: Use a Hacksaw and Drill to Make Things Better.
- Encourage child to learn statistical quality improvement by channeling W. Edwards Deming for an hour a day.
- Bedtime reading: Daddy Loves Billy Except When Billy Takes Apart Daddy’s New Flat-Screen TV.
|
| Attentive to Details |
- Counts corn kernels, peas, etc. on the dinner plate; then arranges them in repeating patterns on a layer of mashed potatoes.
- Refuses to eat broken cookies due to aesthetic considerations.
- Berates the manager at McDonald’s when french fries aren’t served at precisely the right temperature.
|
- Enroll child in this class: Super Fun in the Supermarket: Reading Nutrition Labels.
- Encourage child to recognize signs of cosmetic surgery when meeting new people.
- Bedtime reading: What Details Did Little Red Riding Hood Miss about the Big Bad Wolf?
|
| Process Oriented |
- Draws a flowchart of the plot line after reading Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. (“Why didn’t he address the root cause of his problems?”)
- Asks too many questions about how babies are made. (“But what happens BEFORE that step?”)
- Can’t fall asleep at night because he/she needs to know where water goes after it disappears down the drain.
|
- Enroll child in this class: Fabulous Fun with Fantastic Flowcharts.
- Encourage child to use a decision tree when choosing an ice cream flavor at Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors.
- Bedtime reading: Wile E. Coyote’s Process to Catch the Road Runner Sucks Big Time.
|
| Patience |
- Recreates Formula One racing in the garden with dueling snails on a dirt track.
- Takes up bird watching at an early age.
- Eats desserts very slowly to prolong the experience.
- Willing to wait for serious answers to profound questions until he/she is older.
|
- Enroll child in this class: Use Meditation to Get in Touch with Your Inner Demand Generation Professional.
- Encourage frank and explicit conversations about hidden meanings in marketing-qualified leads.
- Bedtime reading: A Spiritual Journey through a Sales Funnel. Include the Coping with the Trauma of Funnel Leakage appendix if older than 8 years.
|
| Creative |
- Creates artwork spontaneously on clean walls at home.
- Bedroom looks as if it belongs in House Beautiful magazine.
- Invents new and bizarre games to play with other children, but manipulates every contest to win.
|
- Enroll child in this class: Marketing Campaigns for Minors.
- Encourage acting and role-playing, especially if being cute and precocious leads to a new revenue stream.
- Bedtime reading: How to Express Yourself like Vincent Van Gogh While Keeping Your Ear.
|
| Measurement Mentality |
- Never leaves home without a tape measure, stopwatch and thermometer.
- Always asks strangers about their height and weight.
- Wants to collect ultra-precise data to calculate your car’s gasoline mileage to five decimal places.
|
- Enroll child in this class: The Metric System Rocks My World.
- Theater outing: Measure for Measure (William Shakespeare).
- Bedtime reading: Jack and Jill’s Play Date: Measuring Subatomic Particles at the Large Hadron Collider.
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