Who?
Anyone that is interested in ever improving themselves in anything and anyone that might ever want to be a parent.
When?
Now.
Why?
This book left the strongest impression on me of almost any book I have read in the last few years.
Best Quote
Research confirms that merely putting in the years isn’t much help to someone who wants to be a great performer.
Review
Geoff Colvin’s Talent is Overrated is the perfect companion for Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. They discuss very similar topics, while Colvin’s book goes much more deeply into the hard work aspect of becoming great. Colvin’s thesis is that the truly great get there not just by putting in the time, but by putting in the time deliberately. Great violinists don’t practice just the things that are fun. They practice the things that need practiced most whether they are fun or not, and they do this over and over until they become masters. The same goes for athletes, business people, and more.
I was so impressed by Talent is Overrated partially because it is extremely well researched and written, but even more so because it made me wonder how great I could be at something if I was more deliberate or maybe even how great my children could be if I helped them to be more deliberate. Think about it. If success is a determiner of happiness and success could be achieved with dedicated and deliberate practice, wouldn’t you go out of your way to do that for yourself and your family?
Last Word
I wholeheartedly recommend Talent is Overrated to anyone that thinks they might be even remotely interested. Even for non-business people, I really believe that you will find this fascinating simply when looking at it through the lens of your personal life and your family’s.
