Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin

Dec 10, 2008 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Colvin set out to answer this question: "What does great performance require?" In this volume, he shares several insights generated by hundreds of research studies whose major conclusions offer what seem to be several counterintuitive perspectives on what is frequently referred to as "talent." (See Pages 6-7.) In this context, I am reminded of Thomas Edison's observation that "vision without execution is hallucination." If Colvin were asked to paraphrase that to indicate his own purposes in this...more Colvin set out to answer this question: "What does great performance require?" In this volume, he shares several insights generated by hundreds of research studies whose major conclusions offer what seem to be several counterintuitive perspectives on what is frequently referred to as "talent." (See Pages 6-7.) In this context, I am reminded of Thomas Edison's observation that "vision without execution is hallucination." If Colvin were asked to paraphrase that to indicate his own purposes in this book, my guess (only a guess) is that his response would be, "Talent without deliberate practice is latent" and agrees with Darrell Royal that "potential" means "you ain't done it yet." In other words, there would be no great performances in any field (e.g. business, theatre, dance, symphonic music, athletics, science, mathematics, entertainment, exploration) without those who have, through deliberate practice developed the requisite abilities.

Colvin duly acknowledges that deliberate practice "is a large concept, and to say that it explains everything would be simplistic and reductive." Colvin goes on to say, "Critical questions immediately present themselves: What exactly needs to be practiced? Precisely how? Which specific skills or other assets must be acquired? The research has revealed answers that generalize quite well across a wide range of fields." Even after committing all of my time and attention to several years of deliberate practice, under the direct supervision of the best instructor (e.g. Hank Haney, Butch Harman, or David Leadbetter) I probably could not reduce my handicap to zero but I could lower it under those conditions. Colvin's insights offer a reassurance that almost anyone's performance can be improved, sometimes substantially, even if it isn't world-class. Talent is overrated if it is perceived to be the most important factor. It isn't. In fact, talent does not exist unless and until it is developed...and the only way to develop it is (you guessed it) with deliberate practice. When Ben Hogan was asked the "secret" to playing great golf, he replied, "It's in the dirt."

Throughout his narrative, Colvin inserts clusters of insights and recommendations that literally anyone can consider and then act upon to improve her or his individual performance as well as helping to improve the performance of a team of which she or he is a member. For example:

1. Attributes of deliberate practice (Pages 66-72)
2. What top performers perceive that others do not notice (Pages 89-94)
3. Benefits of having a "rich mental model"(Pages 123-124)
4. Rules for peak performance that "elite" organizations follow (Pages 128-136)
5. Misconceptions about innovation and creativity (Pages 149-151)
6. How innovators become great (Pages 159-161)
7. How to make organizations innovative (Pages 162-166)
8. What homes can teach organizations (Pages 172-175)
9. The "drivers" of great performance (Pages 187-193)
10. How some organizations "blow it" (Pages 194-198)

Corbin provides a wealth of research-driven information that he has rigorously examined and he also draws upon his own extensive and direct experience with all manner of organizations and their C-level executives. (less)

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Sep 06, 2009 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-kate

The takeaway from this approachable book is that a particular kind of practice--what Colvin refers to as "deliberate practice"--is what allows mere mortals (who include all of us, even Mozart, he argues) to painstakingly climb toward world-class performance in our respective fields. Colvin spends a few chapters arguing that talent, an inborn gift most of us assume is responsible for world-class performance, is a slippery concept whose cause-and-effect relationship to excellence hasn't been born...more

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May 17, 2010 getAbstract rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Telling examination of the power of practicing

Author Geoff Colvin rejects the popular notion that the genius of a Tiger Woods, a Mozart or a Warren Buffett is inborn uniquely to only a few individuals. He cites research that refutes the value of precocious, innate ability and he provides numerous examples of the intensely hard work that high achievement demands. Best performers’ intense, “deliberate practice” is based on clear objectives, thorough analysis, sharp feedback, and layered, systemati...more

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May 05, 2013 Stephen Tryon rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was well researched and powerful.

In my own book, Accountability Citizenship, I describe the content and importance of Colvin's book as follows:

In his wonderful book, Talent is Overrated, Geoff Colvin makes a persuasive case that excellence in any endeavor is a function of hard work and deliberate practice. Colvin examines cases of so-called prodigies, people widely believed to have been born with innate talent far beyond that possessed naturally by most others. Across every...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book had very interesting points about ideas that I agreed with thoroughly, it definitely opened my eyes to a new perspective about what world class talent really is, and where it comes from. My dad recommended that I read this book, because as a high-level soccer player, he wanted me to understand how my favorite athletes got there, and what I would have to do to get there myself. I enjoyed this book because it introduced me to the idea that a lot of times people aren't born with the speci...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Tabasco rated it 4 of 5 stars

Insightful analysis of excellence and excellent performance in any field. The point of the book is in the title: the concept of "innate talent", when it comes to great performance, is overrated in our society, because the number 1 element that generates great performance is something else. Taking the term from a paper published years ago by someone else, the author identifies this "holy grail" of excellence in "deliberate performance", that means: whoever is ready to spend more time than the oth...more Insightful analysis of excellence and excellent performance in any field. The point of the book is in the title: the concept of "innate talent", when it comes to great performance, is overrated in our society, because the number 1 element that generates great performance is something else. Taking the term from a paper published years ago by someone else, the author identifies this "holy grail" of excellence in "deliberate performance", that means: whoever is ready to spend more time than the others outside of his comfort zone, and work constantly hard at improving his skills, will eventually excel. Perfect example, even though not quoted by this book, is Jiro from "Jiro's dream of sushi", a documentary about the pursuit of excellence.
I felt the concept could have been presented in less chapters and with less words, but I do think this book goes beyond the usual "et voilà: here is common sense dressed up as a great new discovery" business books (99% of them). It's not just "hard work" that generates the best performances, it's something more specific, deliberate, and painful.
Negatives: chapter 10 promises to look at "why" some people accept to go through terrible training processes and most people don't, but it doesn't even scratch the surface. There could be a gene that determines the willingness to excel, or it could be that you get that drive while living your life. Truth is, nobody will know until we better understand how the brain works. Also, the author never seems to have any understanding or empathy at all for the majority of human beings, who normally get into comfortable daily patterns and dont give a crap about constant learning and achieving excellence.
However, the liberating principle by which virtually anyone can achieve excellent performance is a breath of fresh air, in a time when still too many people, while watching their favorite NBA or football player on TV, turn around and say to their kids "Wow, that guy is a genius! Why didn't God give those skills to your daddy instead?? We would be millionaires now!".(less)

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Petra X Not performance in any field. Performance in the media does not necessarily have excellence, talent, or anything other than implants and a whole team...more
Mar 15, 2013 06:53pm

Tabasco Yes, we need to be careful: the subject of the book is not "success", but "talent", and in most cases there is no correspondence between the two of th...more
updated Mar 16, 2013 12:52am

Jan 08, 2013 Lacey Savage rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've often been fascinated by what makes great performers, well...great. Is it talent? Genes? Hard work? A superhuman drive to succeed? Colvin argues it's none of these things, but rather the careful and disciplined application of something he calls "deliberate practice." This isn't what you or I do when we smack a tennis ball across the court. Instead, it's an activity "designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher's help; it can be repeated a lot; feedback on results is co...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars

There have been a number of books lately that attempt to disabuse us of the myth of talent -- that some people are born gifted, like Mozart or Tiger Woods. When you look into the details of such cases, you almost always find a passionate parent, a good understanding of the field of expertise, and hours and hours of practice. Both Mozart and Woods had all of these. Colvin asks us to replace the idea that people are born gifted with the idea that anyone who's willing to put in the time can do wond...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Lisa Sharp rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's books like this that make rather new parents like me so crazy.

Gist of the book is: if you want your kid to be truly great at anything, or you want to stand apart from the crowd with some sort of skill, you must engage in a massive, over-time effort of "deliberate practice." This will not be fun, and that is why few people end up being truly outstanding in their fields. So start at age 2, parents, and keep your kid focused on whatever it is you think they ought to be amazingly good at, beca...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars

When looking at the greats in a field, particularly artistic and athletic fields, people tend to focus on the prodigies. Mozart was composing as a child. Tiger Woods was golfing as a toddler. People tend to assume they had some unnatural talent or passion that led them to greatness. In TALENT IS OVERRATED, Geoff Colvin shows why these stories are just myths. It’s practice not passion, testing not talent, that makes someone great.

I first heard of TALENT IS OVERRATED in SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE Y...more When looking at the greats in a field, particularly artistic and athletic fields, people tend to focus on the prodigies. Mozart was composing as a child. Tiger Woods was golfing as a toddler. People tend to assume they had some unnatural talent or passion that led them to greatness. In TALENT IS OVERRATED, Geoff Colvin shows why these stories are just myths. It’s practice not passion, testing not talent, that makes someone great.

I first heard of TALENT IS OVERRATED in SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU by Cal Newport (check out my review on this site). Newport suggests reading TALENT IS OVERRATED for a discussion of deliberate practice.

Geoff Colvin summarizes a lot of studies to show that the best in a field aren’t necessarily the smartest; they don’t have the best memories; and their abilities weren’t innate. Instead, people become the best because they worked to be so–but in a very particular way: deliberate practice.

So what is deliberate practice? Geoff Colvin writes that it’s a very specific form of practice that 1) is designed specifically to improve performance, 2) it can be repeated a lot, 3) feedback on results is continuously available, 4) it is highly demanding, and 5) it isn’t much fun.

Geoff Colvin goes on to describe how businesses can apply the concept of deliberate practice towards creating future industry leaders. Geoff Colvin also shows the benefits of using deliberate practice to extend the longevity of your career beyond that of your peers.

It’s an intriguing idea. Deliberate practice sounds dreadful, so, naturally, few people actually use it. Therefore, the few that do will jump ahead of their peers. But Geoff Colvin doesn’t really explain in a satisfying way what drives people to pursue deliberate practice over the course of years (it will likely take over ten years to become great, he says, by the way). And although he relies heavily on “Making of an Expert” by K. Anders Ericsson and others (Harvard Business Review, July 2007) he doesn’t explore as deeply Ericsson’s other requirements for becoming an expert: world class coaching and a supportive family.

Therefore, while not as complete a discussion of the topic as I would have liked, on balance, this is a good book, full of useful advice. In particular, as a writer, I enjoyed his comments on Ben Franklin’s deliberate practice as a young writer, and I will start using some of his techniques myself. Check back in ten years for a status update. In the meantime, start reading this. Then (deliberate) practice, (deliberate) practice, (deliberate) practice.(less)

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Sep 15, 2012 Constantine rated it 3 of 5 stars

I couldn't put it down...(although the sections devoted to acheiving world class excellence in the coprporate realm did drag ...revelatory of my lack of interest in the business of business). It is a very straightforward read: competent prose, a degree of it researh based,that provides insight into what separates those elite individuals at the very top of their chosen fields (golf, football,sales,music,chess,invention,chairmanship of mega corporations,comedy,physics,medical analysis, etc). Colvi...more I couldn't put it down...(although the sections devoted to acheiving world class excellence in the coprporate realm did drag ...revelatory of my lack of interest in the business of business). It is a very straightforward read: competent prose, a degree of it researh based,that provides insight into what separates those elite individuals at the very top of their chosen fields (golf, football,sales,music,chess,invention,chairmanship of mega corporations,comedy,physics,medical analysis, etc). Colvin's main point...talent is,overrated (title is the premise)!
The real secret lies in the concept of deliberate practice...for at least 10,000 total hours. Before you run out and begin your 20 hour a week,decade long regimen of practice...make absolutely sure you know exactly what subsets of skills are necessary to your endeavor...otherwise you're just spinning your wheels.It is not the practicing per se that is essential,it is the kind of practice you do. Tangentally,your prime years are probably between the ages of 8-18 (unless you are going to trump the genius /physicists of the world in their accomplishments). The role of parenting and,after that,the luxury of having world class mentors,coaches and teachers is a biggie,too...athough you can get better at your obsession with age,which is a comfort to those of us that did not grow up in an ideal genius-producing enviornment,have a dad uniquely disposed and prepared for his role in raising a phenom (Tiger Woods) and are way past the age of 18. You'll also need that will-o-the-wisp called intrinsic motivation (Colvin does offer some interesting insight on the slippery psychology of that human trait).You might want to prepare yourself for the ugly side of this kind of pursuit of greatness (narcissism, ego centrism amd narrowness can play a role in your development of world class ranking....and probably,divorce.
As a Junior High teacher,I,somewhat quixotically, try to instill the Three "D's" in my students:Desire Dedication,and Discipline. Colvin's book gave me more food for thought on role these essential dimensions of the human psyche play in fostering greatness.
In his final paragraphs,Colvin states that: "Ultimately,we cannot get to the very heart of this matter; we cannot explain fully and generally why certain people put themselves through the years or decades of punishing, intensive daily work that eventually makes them world-class great. We've reached the point where we are left without guidance from the scientists and must proceed by looking in the only place we have left, which is within ourselves."
Good read for anyone that aspires to greatness,wants to be better at something, admires greatness,teaches or mentors,is in a leadership position, has children.(less)

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May 09, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

The title of this book should be 'Talent is Irrelevant,' as that's essentially the author's argument. I guess he wanted to hedge his bets, and he does grudgingly acknowledge (in the last few pages) that innate capacities *may* play some role in performance, particularly in regard to physical skills. But his constant assertion, which runs very much contrary to popular belief, is that there is no real evidence for innate or genetic abilities playing any role in the success of world-class performer...more The title of this book should be 'Talent is Irrelevant,' as that's essentially the author's argument. I guess he wanted to hedge his bets, and he does grudgingly acknowledge (in the last few pages) that innate capacities *may* play some role in performance, particularly in regard to physical skills. But his constant assertion, which runs very much contrary to popular belief, is that there is no real evidence for innate or genetic abilities playing any role in the success of world-class performers.

What these performers do have in common is--surprise!--practice, and lots of it. Not just any practice, though; the key is what he terms 'deliberate practice'--the kind where you ruthlessly identify your weaknesses, then mindfully and persistently improve them with well-designed practice, then repeat that process for (ideally) many hours every day over a long period of time. It's the kind of practice that generally isn't any fun, which is why so few people do it in first place, much less stick with it over the long haul. The elite among us--those who are often seen as being touched by some 'divine spark,' somehow fundamentally more talented than us mere mortals--are simply those who have managed to stay in that 'deliberate practice' zone long enough.

The author cites luminaries mainly from sports and music--Jerry Rice, Tiger Woods, Yo-Yo Ma, Mozart--but his goal (as a writer from Fortune magazine) is to encourage business people to embrace the deliberate practice model. It's a worthwhile read for anyone, though (I'm a musician), even if it is the sort of book that can easily be boiled down to a few words ("Forget talent: just practice a lot, and practice well."). His point is that great performance is available to *anyone* who is willing to put in the work; I found that very encouraging, and his examples inspiring. It renewed my drive to make the most out of the limited practice time I have by focusing relentlessly on my squeaky wheels (I have a lot of them) and setting specific, attainable goals for myself, not just a general aim of "getting better," which is too vague and open-ended to get my butt in the practice chair with any kind of determination. For that alone, this book was well worth the time.
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May 03, 2012 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun-nonfiction

A continuation of the discussion I first read about in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story Of Success - are high-achieving performers naturally talented or is it the result of hard work? Talent Is Overrated sides with Gladwell in that hard work is the defining bit and pure, native talent is truly hard to find, but it goes farther in examining the type of hard work necessary to produce greatness, specifically, "deliberate practice": identifying weak areas and following a comprehensive plan to...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Jeanette rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book gets 5 stars for its interest factor. It summarizes so much fascinating research and many interesting case studies on the relationships between talent, practice, and exceptional performance. My favorite anecdote was about the Polgar sisters, children of a Hungarian psychologist who ADVERTISED for a wife so he could run a talent-v-practice experiment on his own kids when they were born. He got a taker, they had three girls, and they decided to train them in chess from an early age (a ga...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Robyn Blaber rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-literature, non-fiction

Well, I think I could have written this book and made it a lot shorter. 3 stars is perhaps low considering that the research was good... and that I agree with the author's findings. It's just that the conclusion was obvious. How do you advance to a world class at some skill? Malcolm Gladwell explained that in his book outliers; simply spend 10,000 hours at a thing. You'll become a master.

Colvin points out that many people spend years... 10,000 hours plus at a task, however they never achieve wor...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Tie Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars

I occasionally get teased at work for being a logophile. Thus, I felt somewhat vindicated reading the author's comment that Ben Franklin believed it was important to increased one's "stock of words" to express specific meaning in an apposite manner :)

The author has conducted vast research in putting together a highly readable and enjoyable book. I appreciate his reference to Nobel Prize winner, Herb Simon, a brilliant economist [if you can get a copy of Simon's "Models of My Life", it's definite...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, business, personal-development

This book aims to answer the questions - are truly talented people born with it, or is it something they can develop? If they can develop it, how can this process be facilitated?

The title of the book gives away the answer to the first question, extraordinary talent is developed through years of "deliberate practice."
Colvin further looks at how organizations, parents, others can help or hinder the process. He explores and explains where he can how much of the drive, spark, initial talent may be...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this as a primer to the study of expertise, which is something I'd like to learn more about academically. So my rating of 3 stars is more a reflection of my intrinsic interest in the topic than the quality of the book. As a piece of writing and reporting, I'd put it at 2 stars--Colvin is at his best when he is explaining Anders Ericsson's research, but a bit out of his depth when he tries to draw independent conclusions.

Like several popularizations of social psychology theories I've read...more I read this as a primer to the study of expertise, which is something I'd like to learn more about academically. So my rating of 3 stars is more a reflection of my intrinsic interest in the topic than the quality of the book. As a piece of writing and reporting, I'd put it at 2 stars--Colvin is at his best when he is explaining Anders Ericsson's research, but a bit out of his depth when he tries to draw independent conclusions.

Like several popularizations of social psychology theories I've read, there is one great idea that has been mostly expressed within 100 pages. I was glad Colvin included a section on 'flow' at the end, because one of the main tenets of his early chapters is that deliberate practice is "not fun." Flow directly contradicts this, providing evidence that people often enjoy the rigors of practice. Colvin didn't take the time to edit out his earlier note about fun, but at least he takes into account another research perspective.

I was also bothered by a hypothesis he suggests later on that we can develop child prodigies by praising children before they have done well. I understand his logic--children who are praised often practice more and become more motivated because of the praise, and there is a temptation to want to jump-start the virtuous circle of practice -> praise -> practice with a careful praise intervention. However, as the self-esteem movement has taught us, praise disconnected from performance creates a culture that is afraid of failure, expects positive assessment without effort, and seriously impairs the natural ability of children--and adults--to learn from their mistakes. But that is a small section, and I'm nitpicking.

The best part of the book was the thrill of the first 100 pages--where Ericsson's incredible research shines through and readers are instilled with a passion for hard work as a method of betterment. After reading this, I was inspired to go out and take notes on how I would be able to practice everything I wanted to learn. The distinction between simple repetition or homework and deliberate practice--with its properties of feedback, focus on skills, and continual mental focus--also helps explain what a good practice regimen should involve.

If I were to recommend this book, I would tell people just to read the first 100 pages and skim any other chapters that seem interesting. But I would recommend those first 100 pages.(less)

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Jul 17, 2011 Bryan Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that hooked me with its very direct premise of a title. On the flip side, the title had me worried that the pages would be filled with vaguely inspirational, anecdotal fluff, wrapped together with weak logical connections. The first chapter didn't help alleviate my fears, but the rest of the book did.

The author does a great job presenting a litany of real research, and avoids stretching them past their natural conclusions. He first presents a case supporting the overal...more

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Sep 12, 2010 Trevor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychology, social-theory

This was surprising in some ways. The start of it is pretty much Gladwell’s Outliers, the end is pretty well Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and the middle is about the least interesting part of the book. So, I guess I would recommend those two books rather than this one, except that there were some things about this that made the whole thing worthwhile.

I’m more convinced than ever that talent is overrated. What is talent? Essentially it is directly connected with performance...more This was surprising in some ways. The start of it is pretty much Gladwell’s Outliers, the end is pretty well Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and the middle is about the least interesting part of the book. So, I guess I would recommend those two books rather than this one, except that there were some things about this that made the whole thing worthwhile.

I’m more convinced than ever that talent is overrated. What is talent? Essentially it is directly connected with performance – talented people are people who can perform well. So if you are trying to improve performance looking at the ‘innate’ abilities of the performer is probably the least interesting and least worthwhile thing to do. Surely the best way to improve performance is to look at what high performers DO and work out how to help weaker performers do that.

Much of this book is about the benefits of deliberate practice – which is, doing stuff that is not fun to do so as to be able to be successful at something. That is, piano practice or pumping iron or swimming at 5am. However, I think he overdoes the ‘this is hard and horrible but needs to be done’ stuff. The real lesson is that if it is meaningful and is directed at a goal the person wants to go in then it will not be horrible. Meaning is key here.

The bits of this I liked the most were the little anecdotes he says along the way. My favourite of these as the CEO who would find out who was going to be having a birthday on his visits and during his talk would tell staff, “It’s Jane’s birthday – sing her her song.” And they would all sing Happy Birthday! And then he would say, once they had finished. “Look, that was okay, but only just okay – I want you to sing it again but this time do it better.” And then there would be a pause while everyone tries to work out what ‘better’ means. I loved this story so much. Sometimes feedback isn’t just poor, it actually stops performance altogether. If you know you need to improve but have no idea how or what might help you are going to tend to give up.

His stress on learning is hard is the opposite of what I really believe – learning is generally effortless, practice may be hard, but if it is meaningful the ‘hard / easy’ opposition really doesn’t apply. I know that it is hard to feel more alive than after ‘getting it’. What gets called ‘hard work’ is often just play that requires lots of focus.

So, this was okay – but I would recommend the other two books first. They are both better written than this one (not that this one is not competently done) and much more engaging.
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Jun 25, 2010 Jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars

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May 24, 2010 Tim rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book, like Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, bases the core of its argument on a study done in a German music school several years ago. The findings of the study were that three main factors separate truly great performers (musicians who had potential for successful solo careers) from good performers (musicians who could probably make a living on their music but weren't going to blow anyone away) from decent performers (musicians who were more interested in teaching than performing); the factors...more This book, like Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, bases the core of its argument on a study done in a German music school several years ago. The findings of the study were that three main factors separate truly great performers (musicians who had potential for successful solo careers) from good performers (musicians who could probably make a living on their music but weren't going to blow anyone away) from decent performers (musicians who were more interested in teaching than performing); the factors are amount of time spent practicing, level of family support, and involvement of somebody like a coach. Both Gladwell and Colvin focus on the first of these factors, boiling it down to something called the Ten Thousand Hour Rule. If you practice any skill for twenty hours a week for ten years, you will become a genius at it.

This is basically Colvin's argument. Of course, the quality of the practice matters, in addition to the quantity. The practice time needs to be designed to improve performance, should be repeatable, should be mentally demanding, shouldn't be fun, and continuous feedback should be available to the practicer. Colvin calls this Deliberate Practice, and it's the key to success. The book invokes Benjamin Franklin at one point in an anecdote in which Young Ben learns to become a brilliant writer by translating essays he admires to poetry and then back to prose; the book and its argument fit nicely into the tradition of the American Self-Made Man. It's a more sophisticated version of the Horatio Alger scenario, where grit and determination will get you where you want to go.

I liked this book. I think hard work is important, and I like the idea that working diligently and working effectively are the ingredients of success. What I wonder about, though, is what makes the difference between geniuses and the very successful. I'm convinced (in part because of this book) that genius can't occur without hard work, but that concept doesn't seem to fully account for people like Shakespeare or Einstein or Mozart. In other words, I think all geniuses work hard, but all people who work hard aren't geniuses, and why is that? Overall, though, the book did a solid job of making the case for necessity of deliberate practice.

http://everydayireadthebooks.blogspot...(less)

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Mar 02, 2010 Chris Wolak rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, business, self-help-metaphysical-spiritual

I have a two hour commute each day and usually listen to free podcasts about books or running, but I recently discovered that I can download audio books for free from the library via My Media Mall. I have a hard time with audio books because the reader's voice and performance can quickly kill a book for me. Its all I can do right now to restrain myself from boring you with stories of bad audio books past. I'm still traumatized by an especially horrific Moby Dick experience. Suffice it to say now...more I have a two hour commute each day and usually listen to free podcasts about books or running, but I recently discovered that I can download audio books for free from the library via My Media Mall. I have a hard time with audio books because the reader's voice and performance can quickly kill a book for me. Its all I can do right now to restrain myself from boring you with stories of bad audio books past. I'm still traumatized by an especially horrific Moby Dick experience. Suffice it to say now that David Drummond, the reader of Talent is Overrated, is a decent reader.

Geoff Colvin takes on the age-old assumption that people who are the 'great leaders' of their field arrive on earth with an inborn talent. Greatness isn't destiny or DNA, rather it boils down to decades of intentional practice and sacrifice at the level that most of us are not willing to make. Colvin writes for Fortune magazine and points out that many people typically think about greatness in sports and music, but not business. Although we know athletes and musicians are trained and coached, we also make the assumption that they have an inborn talent for their sport or instrument when really, they don't.

Colvin identifies four factors that contribute to great performance:

1. Years of intentional practice
2. Analysis of your results
3. Learning from your mistakes
4. Coaching by progressively more advanced teachers

Two examples that Colvin discusses are Mozart and Tiger Woods. Both men are thought to have an inborn natural talent, but by looking at their histories Colvin identifies many similarities: both men were introduced to music/golf at extremely young ages, both had fathers who were teachers in their respective fields, and both spent years focused on very intentional practice before most of their peers even started to learn music/golf. By the time Mozart and Tiger Woods were teens, they already had over ten years of intense training and intentional practice and so looked like wizards compared to the other boys and girls their age.

I've read bits of Malcolm Gladwell's The Outliers, which also came out in 2008, and his idea of 10,000 hours of practice to achieve greatness seems to be in line with Colvin's findings. I know this topic of greatness and how to achieve it is as old as the hills, but the big take away from Colvin's book for me is the idea of intentional practice, of really breaking things down into small bits and practicing that. For example, when hobbyist golfers practice, they'll go to the driving range and hit their standard 100-300 balls. Tiger Woods, on the other hand, goes to a sand pit, places a ball on the sand, steps on it, and then practices getting out of that situation. He may rarely find himself in that predicament during a tournament, but its those little details that can bring huge rewards.

Colvin wonders about using the Mozart/Woods model to mentor and train future business leaders, which is completely possible. He points out, however, that it might be hard to handle a leader of a large-scale business who is a teen. In that context socialization plays a huge role. We are social creatures and although leadership is found at all ages, it does take significant years of life experience to refine one's leadership ability in order to lead adults for a sustained period of time. This subject made me think about the myths surround Mozart's maturity (or lack, thereof) as well as Tiger Wood's recent interpersonal problems. It is this psycho-social aspect of greatness that I find fascinating, but it is not Colvin's focus.

Long story short: if you're not yet great, go out and find a teacher to challenge your current level of proficiency and then practice, practice, practice--intentionally--for at least ten years. Oh, and a supportive family would be nice, too. Good luck, and may The Force be with you! (less)

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Nov 24, 2009 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book

I took this book out of the library and read it over two days. The writing style was dry at times, but clearly written and well organized. Colvin sets up the book by deconstructing what talent is *not* -- an inborn gift, a genetic predisposition, or even exposure at an early age. It's sort of what you expect -- the product of hard work -- but with a twist: it's the repetitive practice of the key (and often difficult) skills underpinning success, putting in the hours even when you don't feel like...more I took this book out of the library and read it over two days. The writing style was dry at times, but clearly written and well organized. Colvin sets up the book by deconstructing what talent is *not* -- an inborn gift, a genetic predisposition, or even exposure at an early age. It's sort of what you expect -- the product of hard work -- but with a twist: it's the repetitive practice of the key (and often difficult) skills underpinning success, putting in the hours even when you don't feel like it. For example, he talks about young British musicians who were admitted to an exclusive conservatory. Most of them started music lessons when they were young and they weren't labeled "prodigies" or especially talented. They tended to practice the same # of hours as all their other peers. But then around age 10-12, their peers' #s of practice hours began to drop off, but theirs went up. They simply put more quality time at the piano/instrument each week. The more "talented" musicians typically practiced more; less "talented" = less practice.

Key here is not simply time, but practicing the right activities. These activities, Colvin points out, are usually the not-so-fun things -- they can be extremely hard to master, boring -- analyzing a P&L statement in mere seconds, making a difficult shot at the GHO, hitting a certain note in an opera. That's why there are so very few talented people in the world -- most people can't be bothered to put in the effort that true talent requires.

I enjoyed this book and it made me think about my career as a writer a little differently. Not that I'm Shakespeare or anything, but when people say to me, "Oh, I wish I had your talent as a writer," I want to tell them it's not talent but years and years filling up notebooks, journaling, writing, then rewriting, and sitting down at the computer when I didn't feel like it and producing words. There are areas where I could be better at what I do (like writing faster) and this book helped me figure out what skills I needed to practice over and over again to reach a new level of competency.

I may even buy this book so I can refer to it again!(less)

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Nov 18, 2012 David Glad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: achieve, think, willpower, habits, ideas

Practice, practice, practice.

I have been consuming many similar books this year. I would say my key takeaway was the idea of having a coach/teacher to really give feedback/assess you versus self-teaching and to hold you accountable for the result (unless you're really driven).

Also is interesting the Malcolm Gladwell-like line about 10000 hours of practice where Geoff makes the added observation that while it may be possible for an older person to play catch-up, it likely is harder to be discipli...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer12

July 10 The book has its merits after I read it in its entirely. I agree with the effect of deliberate practice and its cumulative effect to an extent. It's exactly the same thing my parents have been telling me since time immemorial. Chinese parents know everything. I can also relate to the multiplier effect where a small initial advantage compounds continuously if you build a virtuous cycle between practice and intrinsic motivation. Most people start with extrinsic motivation but eventually de...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-issues

Well, this was certainly a much better exposition of the "talent is learned, not inborn" thesis than Malcolm Gladwell's shallow treatment in Outliers. I'm impressed, but still not convinced. Colvin in general lays out the argument well, then undercuts himself by constantly referring to "best-performing" or "high-performing" individuals and companies--without ever telling us who these entities are, or how they are determined to be "high-performing." And I'm definitely underwhelmed with the treatm...more

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May 25, 2012 David rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

There is nothing in this work that could not have been summarized in an article. I think it was an attempt by the author to capitalize on the success of his piece published in Forbes. I'm not sure what I was expecting (it was at the library I work at and so just grabbed it on a whim), but I felt that the many examples used were just sort of intriguing, but not really substantive or worth the time of devoting oneself to the entire book.

I think there is truth to the lessons expounded on here, but...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a book that I enjoyed very much -- and I told my children's dance teacher and just about everyone I knew. You have to read and/or listen to this book! If you have anything that you are trying to get better at dance, writing, golf, tennis ... whatever you need this book.

Everyone looks at the life of Tiger Woods and say, "He was just born with this skill -- he is an athlete." Or people listen to Mozart's work and say ... he was blessed with the ability for music. However if you look at th...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Xiaomin Zu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: leisure

There are numerous good points about this book: good information based on solid scientific research; pretty good writing (not master level but close); cogent argument and so on. That being said, this book leaves several threads hanging: why experience does not necessarily led to mastery and what distinguish learning through deliberate practice from normal working experience.

As a Chinese, I am totally buying into this because that's what I grow up with. And I think this book explains why Chinese...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Creativity and Passion	1	15	Nov 27, 2009 11:11am
Deliberate Practice Fueled By Passion	1	18	Nov 27, 2009 11:01am
Company Culture	1	7	Nov 27, 2009 10:50am

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