Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else

We recently ordered copies for all managers in company to read Talent is Overrated. Under direction of the general manager, the idea of deliberate practice is being utilized throughout the group. I personally found the book interesting with many new ideas. It changed my thinking about the power I've been giving to "talent" rather than focusing on practice. It relates concepts to all areas including arts, music, academia, and business. It has changed my thinking and set me on a course of deliberate practice. Even if you don't accept the conclusions of the book, it gives you a lot to think about.

Despite the contemporary research on talent, the definitions of talent, and the increasing importance of talent in organizations, Colvin suggests that much of the conventional wisdom on talent is wrong. Innate gifts of talent, general experience, hard work and intellect or natural skillsets are incomplete drivers of "great performance" compared to the principles of deliberate practice. This is a very specific kind of practice that is:

1.Specifically Designed to Improve Performance
2.Based on Systematic Repetition and Habit Building
3.Supported by Feedback that is Continually Available
4.Demanding in Terms of Mental Engagement and Focus
5.Significantly Less Fun Than the Alternatives

Deliberate practice encourages and reinforces a number of thought and behavior processes including perception, knowledge management, discernment, recognition, memory and self-awareness. Deliberate practice drives effective behavior.

The author suggests a series of application ideas that could be considered as prime elements in the path to performance enhancement:

1.Really Knowing Where You Want to Go ...
2.Engaging in Practice Directly and with Different Models ...
3.Building Order and Arrangement into Practice in the Work ...
4.Building Depth and Scope into Knowledge Platforms ...
5.Preparing the Foundations through Ongoing Effort ...

Each of these application ideas were explored by Colvin in terms and frames that are intrinsic to most of us who have direct responsibility for some kind of organizational performance. His explanation of motivation and passion for deliberate practice helps us become responsible for our personal engagement ... to perform with passion.

This book syncs very well with Prepared and Resolved, as well as the premises of "Capacity-Building" defined in our research on collaborative capability and performance.

Deliberate practice is hard and not particularly enjoyable because it means you are focusing on improving areas in your performance that are not satisfactory. Thus, it stretches you. The book is written by a journalist, not a scholar. And it is well written and the journalist has done a good job in doing his homework. It is full of relevant references to research. It deals with the subject matter in a nuanced and informative way. Overall, it is very convincing.

I also juiced the best from these titles:
Think And Grow Rich: The Personal Study Edition
The Master Key System: The Personal Study Edition
Path To Prosperity - Mastery Of Destiny - Acres Of Diamonds: The Personal Study Edition
The Science of Getting Rich: The Movie - 2 Disk Set

This book added some extremely solid pieces of information to a shaky mental foundation. I am glad I read it. It was well worth the money and wisdom I gained.

Highly recommended.

No regrets on purchasing this book.

This book is both an inspiration, and a challenge. It tells you that you can achieve great things...but only at the price of long, arduous and disciplined practice. Likewise if you have already got yourself to some level of performance that is good, but if you want to go further you may need to do much, much more than just redouble your efforts. In this its ideas dovetail with those of Marshall Goldsmith and his book, "What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How successful people become even more successful"

This book is a great corrective to views such as "it's all in the genes" or "he came from the right sort of house" or "people round here just can't do that." You cannot completely deny the power of genes and environment, but this book shows how how can make great use of both, to further your performance level at a certain task.

This book shows why truly great performance is rare- the combination of opportunity and willingness to stick to disciplined practice for long enough is actually rare. But it is also optimistic in that it shows how most of us could raise our performance level when we have a need and reason to do so.

An enjoyable book, with a useful message, and easy to read. I can recommend it to those readers who are interested in understanding and improving either their own or their colleague's performance.