I always told my kids that if they are amongst top-ranked students in their class, they are definitely in a wrong place as they are not challenged enough. It’s probably ideal to be in the 40-50th percentile. It usually takes equal parts of strong work ethic, communication and teamwork, as well as natural acumen to succeed in the workplace. Being naturally smart reduces the incentive to develop the other two ingredients, so it becomes much more difficult to catch up later in life.