To most， common sense means the ability to render sound， practical judgments on everyday affairs. To do this， one has to sweep aside extraneous ideas and get right to the core of what matters. A Texas oil and gas magnate puts it this way： "The key ability for success is simplifying. In conducting meetings and dealing with industry regulators， reducing a complex problem to the simplest terms is highly important."
Is common sense a trait a person is born with， or can you do something to increase it？ The oil man' s answer is that common sense can definitely be developed. He attributes his to learning how to debate in school. Another way to increase your store of common sense is to observe it in others， learning from their and your own-mistakes.
Knowing One's Field
After common sense， specialized knowledge in one' s field is the second most common trait possessed by the respondents， with three-fourths giving themselves an A in this category.
Geologist Philip Oxley， former president of Tenneco Oil Exploration and Production Co. and now chairman of Tenneco Europe， attributes his success to having worked in the oil fields， by "sitting on wells and bird-dogging seismic crews，" he learned the tricks of the trade firsthand. "People， who are going to be good managers need to have a practical understanding of the crafts in their business，" he says. Today his expertise earns him a six-figure salary.
On-the-job experience convinced people the importance of specialized knowledge. He says that "understanding why my equipment performs the way it does" is part of his success formula. A noteworthy point： he obtained his specialized knowledge through self-education and not through formal schooling.
Self-reliance
Top achievers rely primarily on their own resources and abilities. Seventy-seven percent give themselves an A rating for this trait. Self-reliance is not how you feel or how good you are； rather， it' s whether you have the gumption to take definitive action to get things moving in your life. It includes plain old willpower and the ability to get goals.