I think maybe a better way to think of "smarts" leading to success is to not look only at IQ, but also attention
An oversimplified example from electrical engineering:
Watts are units of power. Amperage * Voltage = wattage.
Amperage refers to how much current (width of the pipe) and voltage refers to the speed of the current (how fast the water flows).
I think that we focus so much on intelligence testing, but neglect to focus on attention. I think that making use of your smarts, intelligence, or whatever term you want to give it needs a combination of intelligence and attention.
If you are very smart (180 IQ) but can't focus for long, you will be outdone by the woman or man who "only" has 130 IQ but has persistence.
IIRC studies of Nobel winners (a good measure of "smarts" and achievement) confirm my theory - finding that after a certain cutoff, there are diminishing returns for IQ alone in terms of obtaining a nobel.
An oversimplified example from electrical engineering:
Watts are units of power. Amperage * Voltage = wattage.
Amperage refers to how much current (width of the pipe) and voltage refers to the speed of the current (how fast the water flows).
I think that we focus so much on intelligence testing, but neglect to focus on attention. I think that making use of your smarts, intelligence, or whatever term you want to give it needs a combination of intelligence and attention.
If you are very smart (180 IQ) but can't focus for long, you will be outdone by the woman or man who "only" has 130 IQ but has persistence.
IIRC studies of Nobel winners (a good measure of "smarts" and achievement) confirm my theory - finding that after a certain cutoff, there are diminishing returns for IQ alone in terms of obtaining a nobel.