by Malcolm Gladwell
What makes for those innovative geniuses out there? Not just the inventors, but the professional visionaries and shapers? Gladwell’s book addresses these matters. His careful examination of the biographies of a diverse group of outstanding and notable people reveals that sheer genius alone is not what makes for the success of someone like Bill Gates. Additional facotrs include the opportune conjunction of major social/industrial changes or advances and extensive hours of preparation on the part of the visionary — or outlier, as Gladwell calls these people.
Malcolm Gladwell
Perhaps the biggest, most notable factor of what Gladwell discusses is the 10,000 hours of preparation, usually begun at a young age. It sounds like a tremendous amount of time. It certainly isn’t small. But when considered in the biographies he discusses, the reader can see that it is not insurmountable for someone willing to do the work to achieve the goal.
A side note: I personally think the 10,000 hours is indeed necessary for mastery of a general area of achievement: playing an instrument, mastering computer programming, learning to write well. However, when I heard someone claim that 10,000 hours of preparation was needed for each form of writing endeavor, I disagreed. I believe that once someone has mastered the art of writing in one form (say, prose fiction), the amount of time required to master another form (such as screenwriting or poetry) is shortened. Yes, certainly, time must be put in to master the new form, but I don’t think it will take another 10,000 hours.
In any case, Gladwell’s book is very thought-provoking. And anyone who has ambitions in a specific arena of endeavor should read this. Outliers reminds people that “practice, practice, practice” is very important in every realm. That, combined with a willingness to take advantage of circumstances, a willingness to step out into new territory, these qualities are what can bring any committed person to the ranks of the Outliers.
Afterthought: I glanced at some of the reviews and evaluations of the book and took note of the discussions of what “genius alone” can achieve. One of the examples in the book that Gladwell goes into is a man over very high IQ who does not succeed. Yet, my impression of the person described was that his lack of success lay not so much in his disadvantaged background, but rather his inability to adapt socially, to be winsome enough to get the favorable assistance that more successful people find along their paths. Brains alone will not get you to the top.
