Talent Is Overrated

The book I have chosen for this month is Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. 

The factor that seems to explain the most about great performance and extraordinary achievement is deliberate practice, not high IQ.   The elements of deliberate practice are:

• It is designed specifically to improve performance and stretch the individual beyond current abilities.  It is moving out of the comfort zone to a learning zone that is not a panic zone.
• It can be repeated.
• Feedback on results is continuously available from a teacher, coach, and/or mentor.  Question:  What would an expert do?
• It's highly demanding mentally requiring FOCUS and CONCENTRATION
• It isn't much fun.  Because it is hard, most people won't do it--the willingness to do it will distinguish you.

Great performers never reach the automatic state in their chosen field because they are always becoming better.

How Deliberate Practice Works
A.  Perceiving More

1. Understand significance of indicators that average performers don't even notice.
2. Look further ahead.

"seeing shades of black vs. seeing black"

B.  Knowing More
Domain expertise
"In the knowledge resides the power."

C.  Remembering More
Chunk theory
Analogy:  Letters (novice) vs. words (expert).  The expert also knows the meaning of words.

The first challenge in designing a system of deliberate practice is identifying the immediate next steps.  A mentor can help. 

Practicing in the Work

Before the work

     Set goals and exactly how to reach the goals (strategies)

During the work

     Self-observation:  metagcognition

After the work

     Self-evaluations against a standard of achievement

     Top performers believe they are responsible for their errors (Inner locus of control)

     Result:  Self-efficacy

Deeping Your Knowledge

     Pursue knowledge--domain knowledge

How the Best Organizations Apply the Principles of Great Performance

1. Each person is being stretched and grown
2. Find ways to develop leaders within their jobs
3. Encourage leaders to be active in their communities
4. Understand that personal development works best through inspiration, not authority
5. Invest significant time, money, and energy in developing people
6. Make leadership development part of the culture

Know More, Innovate More

The most eminent creators are consistently those who have immersed themselves in their chosen field--great innovators are nourished by knowledge.

Innovation doesn't strike--it grows.

The culture of an organization needs to be friendly to innovation:  Help people expand and deepen their knowledge.

Model a strong work ethic

When it comes to tasks that are part of their domain of expertise, great performers can keep performing at a high level if they continue deliberate practice--Our brains are perfectly able to add new neurons well into old-age for brain plasticity doesn't stop.

As people master skills, they must seek greater challenges and match them with higher-level skills in order to keep experiencing flow  (Bk.:  Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly)

Everyone who has achieved exceptional performance has encountered terrible difficulties along the way.