Brilliance vs. Reliability: Which is More Important in the Contemporary World?
Recently, the famous Hindi actor Sunil Shetty shared a post reflecting on the value of reliability over raw talent or brilliance, drawing from his experiences in the film industry and the business world.
Shetty provided personal examples of long-standing relationships with team members who have been with him for over 30 years: Parshu, who manages his personal affairs; Kiran Dada, his makeup artist; Ashok, who handles his accounts and taxes; Kanta, who runs operations in his offices; and Muchhad, his former driver who now looks after his farmhouse.
In today’s world, brilliance is often rewarded, but the quiet power of consistently showing up and delivering is underrated. This is reflected in many areas. Forbes published an article on “What kind of characteristics, what kind of personal qualities, in the aggregate, are most valuable?” The answer is reliability over brilliance. Brilliant, difficult employees often consume a lot of management time. In a twist on the old "80-20 rule" (where 80% of your business is said to come from 20% of your customers), the author found that they spent 80% of their time on 20% of their employees—and they weren’t the calm, collaborative, easy-going, reliable ones.
However, today, this notion is slowly fading. Of course, brilliance is needed to some extent in every organization. However, it should be utilized according to need. Thanks to technology, brilliance can be acquired as a service. Organizations can buy that service, but they need a reliable team to sustain it. Hence, reliability becomes more important.
This issue extends beyond organizations—it has also crept into family systems. Parents appreciate their children’s brilliance while they pursue degrees, but it often loses value afterward. Today, in the context of marriage, if a boy or girl is reliable, this quality is often overlooked. Brilliance takes precedence in selecting a bride or groom, yet this model has proven to fail over time.
Rahul Dravid is known as “Mr. Dependable” in Indian cricket. In the 2004 India vs. Pakistan Test Match, Rahul Dravid played a 270-ball inning over almost 12 hours. Can you imagine playing for 12 hours straight? In the history of Test matches, no Indian batsman had ever played an inning that long. He is known as the "Wall" of cricket. For most of his career, Dravid was considered to be in Sachin’s shadow. However, he proved himself as a true gentleman and a complete test cricketer. This is the power of reliability.
Consider these scenarios:
• Would you buy a car that can reach 150 km per hour but whose engine fails frequently, or one that goes 50 km per hour but never fails?
• Would you invest in an asset that offers a 40% return but might plunge into negative territory, or one that offers a consistent 6% return over the long term?
• Would you take a job with the highest package, but with the risk of being laid off anytime, or one with a lower package but long-term stability?
• Would you board a train that is always on time, or a flight with unpredictable arrival times?
Today’s society is divided by these questions. One generation prioritizes risk over reward.
"Facts from paper are not the same as facts from people. The reliability of the people giving you the facts is as important as the facts themselves." – Harold Geneen.
What is your priority? Brilliance or reliability?
Ravi Saripalle
Dr. Ravi Saripalle
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