In the weeks after demise of the Apple founder Steve Jobs, the web and print media were inundated with articles on his genius, his remarkable path to success as the innovator of one of the most coveted devices in the world. In the midst of paens of praise, I stumbled upon a well rounded story of Job's life by Malcolm Gladwell published in the Newyorker. For the first time in my life, I felt like I understoood Jobs better as a person, still human with all his faults, foibles and eccentricities, and not just a divine figure in the techno world. Gladwell's fresh and unbiased approach, his thoughtful analyses of various issues and his crystal clear prose thoroughly impressed me, I simply had to read more of his works. A quick wikipedia search introdcuced me to Outliers, a work of non fiction on the story of success.
Why are some people so succesful in their lives? Hardwork, intelligence, ambition - these are characteristics commonly attributed to the members of the uber succesful club. But every hardworking talented person that you know haven't been a part of this club. Outliers delves into the depth of the phenomenally succesful folks and showcases to the readers, the often ignored or unacknowledged factors that play a pivotal role in the their success. It focuses on the role of opportunity and legacy in shaping a person's future. Does month and year of your birth influence you chances of being succesful? I did not think so. However, after reading Outliers, I am convinced that these do matter. Gladwell's example of the Canadian Hockey League where majority of players are born in the months of January and February drives home the point. In Canada the the eligibility -cut off for age class hockey is January 1. A boy who is born after January first, but in the first few months of the year has a significant advantage in terms of the physical maturity, and the amount of time put in practice when compared to his peers born later during the same year, and hence a higher chance at being selected to the team. Gladwell's research also shows us that most software tycoons were born in 1950s, thye decade where the computer industry was in its infancy and had a potential for enormous growth. If Bill Gates was born in 1960s or 40s its quite unlikley that he would have transformed himself to one of the richest men in the world by striking it big in the world of computers and software.
One aspect of Gladwells work that particularly appealed to me was his 10,000 hour rule. Your IQ and innate abilities could only help you to a certain degree - once you cross a threshold, it is the amount of effort you put in that really matters. Christopher Langan might be the smartest man in America with his IQ over 190, but Albert Einstein with an IQ of 150 was the one who made significant contributions to the scientific world. By the time you have spent around 10,000 hours practising a particular skill, you would have tranformed yourself into an expert in that particular field. He supports this argument with convincing examples - the time Gates put in before making it big in the computer world, the time that Beatles practised in different clubs of Hamburg before transforming into rock and roll legends all roughly equal 10,000 hours. This 10,000 hour rule motivates me to put in more effort in my academic pursuits without worrying too much about my innate intellectual abilities.
Outliers abounds with examples of success which stemmed from a confluence of factors - right opportunities at the right time, presented to a person with innate and developed skills and the right attitude. In a few cases, like for example when tries to figure out why Asians are better at Math when compared to their western counterparts, I felt the explanations where still insufficient, and there potentially could be overgeneralisations. I still doubt whether the fact that the numbers take longer to say in English and other western languages compared to cantonese have a potential role in accounting for the perceived difference in the mathematical abilities amongst cultures. Gladwell's is a masterful observer and skilful interpretor of cultural nuances and their often unrecognized role in certain event outcomes.
My second favourite section of the book ( the first being the one on the 10,000 hour rule) is his analysis of the conversations in the Korean air flight crew before its crash. As an East Indian, I'm quite familiar with culture where the so called mitigated speech is employed to downplay or sugarcoat what is being id said to an authorative figure.Before reading Outliers, it never dawned to me that being less assertive or being overly deferential to authority to the point that you feel uncomfortable or emabarrassed to question them could have far reaching and potentially drastic consequences. The Korean flight officers reluctance to question the captains decisions and their difficulty in communicationg the need for emergent help to the air traffic control as they were used the 'mitigated speech resulted in a fatal plane crash. As a primary care physician, I some times employ mitigated speech when communicating to the subspecialists, but would be less likely to do so, thanks to the insight gained from Outliers. I would strive to be quite assertive when communicating the patient care needs, though it might go against my cultural instincts.
Overall, Gladwell has gone a great job of picking convincing examples to prove his points, walking his readers through the maze of varied data, putting forth his ideas clearly through his simple yet elegant process, all the while ensuring that the readers interest in the subject remains unwavered. Gladwell has truly mastered the craft of writing, I am sure he would have spent 10,000 hours and more on his journey to reach his current stature as the award winning author of many new york times best sellers.
Why are some people so succesful in their lives? Hardwork, intelligence, ambition - these are characteristics commonly attributed to the members of the uber succesful club. But every hardworking talented person that you know haven't been a part of this club. Outliers delves into the depth of the phenomenally succesful folks and showcases to the readers, the often ignored or unacknowledged factors that play a pivotal role in the their success. It focuses on the role of opportunity and legacy in shaping a person's future. Does month and year of your birth influence you chances of being succesful? I did not think so. However, after reading Outliers, I am convinced that these do matter. Gladwell's example of the Canadian Hockey League where majority of players are born in the months of January and February drives home the point. In Canada the the eligibility -cut off for age class hockey is January 1. A boy who is born after January first, but in the first few months of the year has a significant advantage in terms of the physical maturity, and the amount of time put in practice when compared to his peers born later during the same year, and hence a higher chance at being selected to the team. Gladwell's research also shows us that most software tycoons were born in 1950s, thye decade where the computer industry was in its infancy and had a potential for enormous growth. If Bill Gates was born in 1960s or 40s its quite unlikley that he would have transformed himself to one of the richest men in the world by striking it big in the world of computers and software.
One aspect of Gladwells work that particularly appealed to me was his 10,000 hour rule. Your IQ and innate abilities could only help you to a certain degree - once you cross a threshold, it is the amount of effort you put in that really matters. Christopher Langan might be the smartest man in America with his IQ over 190, but Albert Einstein with an IQ of 150 was the one who made significant contributions to the scientific world. By the time you have spent around 10,000 hours practising a particular skill, you would have tranformed yourself into an expert in that particular field. He supports this argument with convincing examples - the time Gates put in before making it big in the computer world, the time that Beatles practised in different clubs of Hamburg before transforming into rock and roll legends all roughly equal 10,000 hours. This 10,000 hour rule motivates me to put in more effort in my academic pursuits without worrying too much about my innate intellectual abilities.
Outliers abounds with examples of success which stemmed from a confluence of factors - right opportunities at the right time, presented to a person with innate and developed skills and the right attitude. In a few cases, like for example when tries to figure out why Asians are better at Math when compared to their western counterparts, I felt the explanations where still insufficient, and there potentially could be overgeneralisations. I still doubt whether the fact that the numbers take longer to say in English and other western languages compared to cantonese have a potential role in accounting for the perceived difference in the mathematical abilities amongst cultures. Gladwell's is a masterful observer and skilful interpretor of cultural nuances and their often unrecognized role in certain event outcomes.
My second favourite section of the book ( the first being the one on the 10,000 hour rule) is his analysis of the conversations in the Korean air flight crew before its crash. As an East Indian, I'm quite familiar with culture where the so called mitigated speech is employed to downplay or sugarcoat what is being id said to an authorative figure.Before reading Outliers, it never dawned to me that being less assertive or being overly deferential to authority to the point that you feel uncomfortable or emabarrassed to question them could have far reaching and potentially drastic consequences. The Korean flight officers reluctance to question the captains decisions and their difficulty in communicationg the need for emergent help to the air traffic control as they were used the 'mitigated speech resulted in a fatal plane crash. As a primary care physician, I some times employ mitigated speech when communicating to the subspecialists, but would be less likely to do so, thanks to the insight gained from Outliers. I would strive to be quite assertive when communicating the patient care needs, though it might go against my cultural instincts.
Overall, Gladwell has gone a great job of picking convincing examples to prove his points, walking his readers through the maze of varied data, putting forth his ideas clearly through his simple yet elegant process, all the while ensuring that the readers interest in the subject remains unwavered. Gladwell has truly mastered the craft of writing, I am sure he would have spent 10,000 hours and more on his journey to reach his current stature as the award winning author of many new york times best sellers.
