3. Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin
Author Geff Colvin takes on the task of debunking the myth about “natural talent” in this book and does a convincing job. The real path to great performance is a matter of choice and something he refers to as “deliberate practice.”
Colvin employs the examples of Tiger Woods and Mozart who he argues weren’t simply born with innate ability to excel at golf or music composition. Both were born to fathers who mentored them from very early on.
Tiger Woods is quoted as saying: “Golf for me was an apparent attempt to emulate the person I looked up to more than anyone: my father.” When asked to explain Tiger’s success, father and son always gave the same reason: “Hard work.”
Deliberate Practice Components
- Is designed
- Can be repeated a lot
- Requires constant feedback
- Is highly demanding mentally
- Isn’t much fun
“If it seems a bit depressing that the most important thing you can do to improve performance is no fun, take consolation in this fact: It must be so. If the activities that lead to greatness were easy and fun, then everyone would do them and they would not distinguish the best from the rest. The reality that deliberate practice is hard can even be seen as good news. It means that most people won’t do it. So your willingness to do it will distinguish you all the more.”
- Geff Colvin
The Multiplier Effect: A very small advantage in some field can spark a series of events that produce far larger advantages (p. 199).
Video: Talent is Overrated