Talent is overrated summary will briefly include some of the book’s key ideas and practical insights.
Talent is overrated – What separates world-class performers from everybody Else by Geoff Colvin, answer the question what is more crucial for high performance? Is it hard work, or is it Talent?
According to Author Geoff Colvin, What really makes a difference besides hard work and natural Talent is “Deliberate Practice.” Deliberate practice is, as the name suggests particular kind of effort.
What are the takeaways from Talent is overrated summary?
- Why should you buy this book?
- How smart do you have to be?
- What deliberate practice is and isn’t?
- How deliberate practice works?
Why should you read this book?
Based on extensive research, Geoff Colvin shares the secrets about high performance in this book and how we can apply these principles in our lives and at work.
With research and cutting-edge data, Colvin shows how Talent is overrated and debunks age-old myths around Talen with research and advanced data.
Read this book, and you will learn.
- What are the real sources of great performance?
- What just talent is not a necessary indication for high performance?
- What is the role of memory and intelligence in high achievement?
- Why is deliberate practice the original method of high performance?
- How to apply the deliberate practice in life and your organization?
For the purpose of Talent is overrated summary, I will focus more on the deliberate practice concept.
How smart do you have to be?
The research tells us that general intelligence and high performance or achievement do not go hand in hand.
In simple words, High IQ is not a prerequisite to high achievement.
In many fields, including business, the connection between general intelligence and specific ability is too weak or sometimes does not exist.
If I ask you think of an image of a high achiever, many of us will think of a person with high intelligence and sharp memory.
While research suggests, otherwise high achievers may not have high intelligence or sharp memory.
Surprisingly memory is not innate Talent. However, almost everyone with practice can develop it.
How’s your memory?
Like high intelligence, having sharp memory is also not a prerequisite for high achievement in career and life.
Memory can be developed with practice so do intelligence.
The famous view is that successful people have a good memory. The only reason for that is they surround themselves with the information they need.
However, research does suggest that certain personality types tend to succeed in specific fields of career. So instead of focusing on memory and intelligence, we shall look for the personalities suitable for the job.
What deliberate practice is and isn’t?
Deliberate practice is an activity designed to improve performance specifically, and it is done most of the time with the mentor/coach’s help. It is highly demanding mentally as well as physically. It may be not necessarily fun to do, it can be repeated, and feedback is available in real-time.
What we think of frequently as the practice is not what the researcher thinks of as deliberate practice.
Now think about the way we work in any organization. Does our work planned by someone or make us better at something? Do you get feedback? Even though you do the tasks repeatedly, does it take you anywhere near your goal?
The situation at most organizations is the same. They hire people based on general intelligence, not on personality, and everyone receives almost the same type of work. Some can perform better in this situation, and some just fail.
How deliberate practice works?
High performers perceive more, know more, and remember more than most people with deliberate practice.
Deliberate practice takes a person beyond the critical point that enables extraordinary performance.
Perceiving more
The high performer can figure out what can happen sooner than average performers by seeing more.
With deliberate practice, high performer develops a better and faster understanding of what they see.
Knowing more
High performers organize the comprehensive range of knowledge in a better way to have a cutting-edge advantage of wisdom over average performers.
Remembering more
With deliberate practice, top performers can remember more information and retrieve it at the moment of need.
If you want me to add more content to Talent is overrated summary, let me know in the comment section.
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