There's a reason they say it's the "C" students who go on to be the most successful in business, and the reason typically given is they learned how to work to g

There's a reason they say it's the "C" students who go on to be the most successful in business, and the reason typically given is they learned how to work to get their grade. When they encounter obstacles at work they know how to work through it. As you say, those who got "A"s are more likely to rely on their brains and so when they encounter obstacles if they can't easily blast through it with their brains then they're stuck. Meanwhile the "C" student will just work through it and get it done. I've seen this happen numerous times. OTOH, if you're the "A" student who can work hard and not just rely on your brains, wow...