In these ultra competitive times the issue of high performance is critical. The top performers in every field are often endowed
with supernatural qualities, viewed with awe and their achievements considered out of reach of the rest of us mere mortals.
But in his book
Geoff Colvin begs to defer: talent is not in born but can be developed through deliberate practice.
The concept of talent is reinforced wherever you look and not least of all by the theory of nurture versus nature , which holds that some abilities are inborn and therefore cannot be replicated while other abilities can be developed through application.
The net effect of this has been to relegate all but a few to mediocrity and under achievement while the select few do to achieve excellence in their chosen endevours.
Using well known examples of “genius” Wolfgang Mozart,
Tiger Woods and Benjamin Franklin the author shows how deliberate practice over years helped them achieve their much vaunted place in history.
Colvin shows that through a combination of consistent practice over seen by a knowledgeable mentor is what genius is made of.
He also reveals little known facts that through consistent practice the brain structures of top achievers change to accentuate their skill and that high intelligence is not essential for high achievement.
In the book Colvin points to hours of deliberate practice – long hours spent working on the specific aspects of the task as opposed to a general practice, as the key to high achievement. He shows how this can be applied to our general and working lives and how organizations can adopt these principles to lift their performance.
The author finally examines the question of passion, which is critical for any high achievement and whether it too is an innate or developed trait.
The book an easy to read 200-page, is a life changer and has the potential to signal a revolution in how we think about such things as child rearing and organizational performance.