Outliers: The Story of Success
by Malcolm Gladwell
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Book Reviews of Outliers: The Story of Success
Book Review: Magnificent and Very Important
Summary: 5 Stars
In my opinion, Gladwell has done a magnificent job with this book, and the ideas presented are enormously important for anyone interested in success in just about any field of endeavor.
His basic thesis is as follows:
1. Inborn ability matters relatively little in many fields. In some fields like science it matters more, but only in the sense that one needs a minimum threshold of ability (eg, IQ of at least 120); above that threshold, extra ability doesn't matter much. [In predominantly creative fields like the compositional arts (as opposed to "mere" artistic performance like playing music composed by someone else), I suspect that inborn creative ability matters a lot, but standard measures like IQ may not reflect that ability.]
2. In pretty much all fields, focused hard work is necessary to develop expertise, and generally about 10,000 hours need to be invested to reach the expert level. But being an expert isn't the same as achieving the standout success of an "outlier" (eg, Bill Gates, Will Smith, or Barack Obama).
3. Luck plays a large role in success. Bad luck can dramatically inhibit success, and good luck fosters success. Exceptionally good luck (eg, a long series of lucky circumstances) is needed to achieve success at the outlier level. Luck clearly interacts with the first two factors noted above -- inborn ability involves rolling the genetic dice, and having the opportunity to put in one's 10,000 hours also involves luck (eg, poor kids aren't likely to have access to computer centers, violin lessons, and professional coaches). Being immersed in a culture which fosters success in a particular field is also a matter of luck, along with being born at the "right" time within that culture. But of course "luck" doesn't have to be entirely random, since it can be influenced by deliberately changing one's circumstances, exposures, networks, etc. ("Chance favors the prepared mind" - Pasteur); for example, if you live in Idaho and want to get into the music business, consider relocating to a more "happening" locale.
The particular strength of Gladwell's book is that he's a great writer with outlier-level ability for storytelling. Some reviewers have criticized his book for lack of originality, but Gladwell deserves credit and success for bringing these important ideas to a large general audience in a gripping and compelling way. And he certainly doesn't claim that he came up with these ideas all by himself.
Some reviewers have also criticized Gladwell for not adequately grounding his ideas in published research and for thereby cherry-picking data and arguing with straw men. That's a somewhat odd criticism, since it contradicts the criticism of lack of originality. Moreover, there are several good books available which describe the research critics might be looking for, such as the following:
- Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin is an excellent book which overlaps considerably with Gladwell's book. The main difference is that Colvin puts greater emphasis on hard work ("deliberate practice") whereas Gladwell emphasizes luck more, so one could say that Colvin is more focused on expertise whereas Gladwell is more focused on going beyond expertise to the outlier level.
- Creativity in Science: Chance, Logic, Genius, and Zeitgeist by Dean Keith Simonton is another excellent book which focuses specifically on creativity (and success) within science. The book reads like a PhD thesis and is quite rigorous in its use of careful reasoning, empirical data, and quantitative analysis. In a sophisticated way, Simonton provides strong support for Gladwell's ideas, and he ultimately argues that chance (luck) is the dominant factor in scientific creativity and success, while also recognizing the supporting roles of genius (inborn ability), zeitgeist (culture), and logic (basic knowledge of one's scientific domain and its rules of inference, which comes from hard work, perhaps again involving roughly 10,000 hours invested in education and training). Simonton also emphasizes that a scientist's chance of coming up with important results is directly related to total output (eg, number of papers published), so that ties chance to continued hard work after already becoming an expert (eg, obtaining a PhD).
- The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a fascinating and provocative book which, coming from a different angle, also argues for the role of unforseeable luck (positive "black swans") in producing outlier-level success, with negative black swans having the opposite effect.
In summary, I believe Gladwell has a done a great service in presenting very important ideas related to success in a user-friendly way, and I think the evidence (in his book and beyond) provides strong support for his ideas.
Very highly recommended -- indeed, a must read, especially for parents.
Book Review: About those Driven
Summary: 5 Stars
In "Outliers" Malcom Gladwell studies and discusses the "ecology of success" and to a lessor degree the "ecology of failure." Some people reach their potential, some succeed above what they thought was capable, some fall short, sometimes far short, of what they could have achieved. This isn't confined to job titles, and income. Reaching or not reaching potential can happen or not happen in a variety of life's situations. (Another question can be, how does a person even know if they've reached their potential in life? But that's another question.)
"Outliers" touches on a variety of areas. It's a quick and easy read, that reinforces Gladwell's curiosity and free-flowing writing style. This book at times reminds me of the phenomena in "Fooled by Randomness" by Taleb.
I agree that in addition to an individual's innate gifts, talents, and ambition, that a major factor in one's achievement professionally, economically, and socially is: a person's attitude, family, culture, luck, timing, situations/circumstances, and exposure to successful people and/or mentors, for guidance and encouragement. Also critical, is recognizing and seizing the opportunities that present itself in front of you.
An example that comes to mind is Malcom Gladwell's own background. You can make assumptions about how his life would be different today if he stayed, grew up, and was educated in Jamaica. Where would he be today? What job would he do? What would he know? Would he be an author?
When people call themself a "self-made" man or women, they are often self-congratulating him or herself. Jeb Bush, From a wealthy Ivy League family is the son of a President, brother of a President, and grandson of a Senator He called himself "A self-made man." Is he?
Gladwell claims the core foundation of what made these people "Outliers," is the "10,000 hour rule." For a person to be a master at any craft or discipline, they must have the motivation and drive, and also the 10,000 hours to practice, learn, and hone their craft. Makes perfect sense. If you focus on 4 hours of work per day (actual task based specific work, not the typical 8+ hour day), you reach the 10-Thousand hour mark at ten years.
Genetic Determinism + Cultural Determinism.
Yes, some people are more gifted by genetics than others.
And Cultural Determinism is only an obstacle if a person blindly accepts it, or fails to take steps to circumvent cultural restrictions.
The most positive aspect I found was that in the majority of crafts, professions, and occupations, it's drive, tenacity, and mental focus to "get good at something," that propels these people to be Outliers. The author cites that Outlier people often do not come from Ivy League institutions or from elitist backgrounds (although many do, the majority actually don't.)
Look at any profession or trade you've personally come into contact with: think of the people you've known (or not known, but read about) that were at the top-tier of their trade, or profession. How did they get there? Not because of the piece of paper they received many years prior to achieving "success." Obviously we know that intelligence alone does not guarantee achievement, as attitude, persistence, and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Practical Intelligence are significant factors.
So of course, you will find common sense and many things most of us are intuitively aware of in "Outliers." But it's still very interesting (to me) and people who dabble into these books occasionally.
STUDY OF FAILURES:
Some failures are noted also. A fatal Korean plane crash was because of mis-communication due to cultural deference from the co-pilots to the Captain. The Captain couldn't understand ground control. It was an unnecessary lack of direct inter-personal communication. Once this was discovered as a cultural issue, procedures in communication were changed.
In the "ecology of failure," humans adapt.
This book has spurred debate about superior East Asian math scores Gladwell links to thousands of year of rice farming, which he claims is linked to cultural perceptions about work, etc. Rice farming requires one to be persistent and methodical. East Asian students will work longer on a math equation to solve it, even when the task is not only difficult, but not entirely understood in the beginning. An American will quit trying to solve the task in a much shorter time. Gladwell sees this as a difference in not only *how* to approach a task or problem (to, figure it out), but also as a difference in persistence.
In sum, many readers will peruse and challenge Gladwell's methodology and his arguments. This is needed for any book, in any circumstance.
This is a book that makes you think. It's good for teens who are finding their way, as they discover their interests, talents, likes and dislikes. It's important for people not to sell themselves short, and follow the path that mainstream society often lays out for you, in all areas of life.
"Outliers is an easy-read that stokes your curiosity, but at the same time it's a coffee table book if you only have a few minutes or more.
Book Review: Gladwell Does It Again
Summary: 4 Stars
I am an unabashed fan of Malcolm Gladwell's books. I enjoy his style of writing and admire his ability to not only dig up fascinating stories and statistics, but to weave them together into a cohesive whole. Blink and The Tipping Point were both excellent books that, even if not particularly deep, offered popular-level introductions into topics all of us experience but few of us think about. It is little wonder, really, that Gladwell's books are perennial bestsellers. At the moment I write this review, all three of his titles are firmly fixed on the New York Times list of Bestsellers.
Gladwell's third book, released just a couple of weeks ago, is Outliers: The Story of Success. Here he attempts to shed fresh light on success, asking why some people succeed while others never reach their potential. He takes the view that--our love of the "self made man" notwithstanding--success is rarely only a product of ability and motivation. Instead, he says, success comes to those who are "invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." In other words, we are all products of hidden forces, advantages and disadvantages, culture, upbringing and even plain dumb luck. He points to "practical intelligence," (known also as "emotional intelligence") as a force that often separates two people who otherwise may appear equal in every way. And, of course, there is the value of hard work--just as your mother told you, practice really does make perfect. Pardon my laziness as I quote from a story at the New York Times. "Many people, I think, have an instinctual understanding of this idea (even if Gladwell, in the interest of setting his thesis against conventional wisdom, doesn't say so). That's why parents spend so much time worrying about what school their child attends. They don't really believe the child is so infused with greatness that he or she can overcome a bad school, or even an average one. And yet when they look back years later on their child's success -- or their own -- they tend toward explanations that focus on the individual. Devastatingly, if cheerfully, Gladwell exposes the flaws in these success stories we tell ourselves."
In all of Gladwell's books, I've been drawn to the stories and trivia he relies on to illustrate his points. I enjoyed these elements in Outliers as much as in his previous two titles. However, where I felt that in the other books the illustrations served to further his point, here I often felt that they actually were his point. If you are like me, you will enjoy reading about the great advantage hockey players have if they are born on the first few months of the year and will enjoy finding out why Korean pilots are historically the worst in the world (especially if, as I do, you have Korean friends to share this information with). But you may also find yourself a little bit disappointed that Gladwell never really comes to any great and grand conclusions. Neither does he offer any substantial answers to many of the questions raised by the book. Then again, maybe that is precisely the point. Maybe this is not a self-help book, trying to release us from the simple fact that success is more than motivation and ability. Perhaps it simply teaches us what is inevitable, what is just one of life's realities--that we are more than our desires and more than our innate talents and abilities. There is always more to a success story than what comes immediately to the eye, but these factors are not easily reproduced, even if we can understand them.
Outliers struck me as being a bit more derived from other books than his previous titles. I am not convinced that there is a whole lot here that hasn't already been said by others (though I'll grant that these others did not write books that sold in the millions of copies). I guess this just proves Gladwell's point, though. It is not always the most original or most talented or most motivated who see success. This is illustrated well in the review of Outliers printed in the New York Times. Gladwell, like anyone who has tasted success, is the product of all kinds of forces and factors that have combined to make him what he is. "It is not the brightest who succeed...nor is success simply the sum of the decisions and efforts we make on our own behalf. It is, rather, a gift. Outliers are those who have been given opportunities -- and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."
I greatly enjoyed Outliers and have no trouble recommending it alongside Gladwell's other titles. It is good for us, I think, to examine success and to understand that things are not always as they seem on the surface. By digging a little deeper than the myth of the self-made man, we are better equipped to understand the forces that, combined together, lead some people to great success while leaving others in obscurity.
Outliers is a good, light read. I can't imagine that it will change too many lives, but neither does it need to. It is a fun and harmless diversion that offers enough "A-ha!" moments to be worth reading, but not so many that it is difficult to plow through. I think it makes for perfect holiday reading.
Book Review: A Teacher's Perspective
Summary: 4 Stars
Outliers is a fascinating and surprisingly easy read, considering the complexity of the topic. Gladwell disaggregates data on a variety of seemingly unrelated themes (yes, I'm a huge nerd for loving this) and weaves it into a suspenseful narrative. His critics complain that Gladwell's points are less than well-substantiated, but those accusations don't undermine the reasonable evidence that supports his ideas, nor do they detract from the compelling nature of the patterns Gladwell exposes (which are, without exception, thought-provoking).
Gladwell's purpose in Outliers is to contrast how success has been perceived culturally with the factors that actually contribute to becoming successful. His examples are not always intended to have educational implications, such as the chapter on why certain airlines have higher crash rates than others (would you believe, the culturally-based deferential treatment of the captain by the first officer? Fascinating.) But nearly every chapter inadvertently caused me to re-evaluate our educational norms and expectations.
For example, Gladwell establishes in the beginning of the book how children are punished by the age cut-offs established by school systems (students born right before the cut-off will lag behind their peers who are nearly a year older, and have to compensate for their disadvantage all the way through high school). It is inherently unfair to expect a child who is 7.1 years old to read at the same level as a child who is 7.10. This is a self-evident fact, yet few (beyond the Montessori movement) have taken any real steps to correct this problem. As a result, we set up children for years of struggle and failure based solely on the month in which they were born.
Gladwell also notes how the differences in parenting styles affect success. This is a well-known fact, especially among those of us who work with children, but the Outliers interpretation offers some considerations which are difficult for us to quantify and express:
"The middle-class parenting style is typically one of 'concerted cultivation', an attempt to actively foster and assess a child's talents, opinions, and skills. Poor parents tend to follow, by contrast, a strategy of 'accomplishment of natural growth'. They see as their responsibility to care for their children but to let them grow and develop on their own (skills and interests are character traits which make the child who s/he is, not as a signal to look for other ways to develop that interest into a formal talent)."
But perhaps the most important chapter for educators appears at the end of the book. Gladwell analyzes data showing the gains that upper class children make during the long summer vacation each year and charts the losses that lower class children suffer. The contrast is impossible to ignore: children from wealthy families benefit from concerted cultivation for two and a half months, while poor children languish in the front of the TV day after day after day. While Gladwell only analyzes data from Baltimore city schools, I'd be highly surprised if different conclusions could be drawn from any other studies:
"An enormous amount of time is spent talking about reducing class size, rewriting curricula, buying every student a shiny new laptop, and increasing school funding--all of which assumes that there is something fundamentally wrong with the job that schools are doing. But look back at the second table [of Baltimore City data], which shows what happens between September and June. Schools work. The only problem with school, for the kids who aren't achieving, is that there isn't enough of it."
This is a consideration which would revolutionize American education: the abolishment of summer vacation under the premise that children will learn more if they're provided with enough of the right opportunities. Imagine diverting funds from endless assessment and swinging pendulum reform initiatives, and using that money to employ teachers for an extra six weeks of best-practice instruction every year. What would YOUR students know if you had an extra 210 hours to teach them?
Whether or not you believe whole-heartedly in the legitimacy of the patterns Gladwell has pieced together, there are clearly some legitimate points which are worthy of our consideration. Outliers will challenge you to consider the factors that are working for and against the success of our students. As Gladwell explains,
"Because we so profoundly personalize success, we miss opportunities to lift others onto the top rung. We make rules that frustrate achievement. We prematurely write people off as failures. We are too much in awe of those who succeed and far too dismissive of those who fail. And, most of all, we become much too passive. We overlook just how large a role we all play--and by "we" I mean society--in determining who makes it and who doesn't."
Originally posted on the author's blog.
From the author of: The Cornerstone: Classroom Management That Makes Teaching More Effective, Efficient, and Enjoyable
Book Review: Success stories - A brilliant book that makes you a little wiser
Summary: 5 Stars
An outlier is a statistical observation that is markedly
different in value from the others in the sample.
In 'Outliers' Malcolm Gladwell looks at Hockey players,
software billionaires, Manhattan lawyers, Jamaicans,
Koreans and many others and argues convincingly that
noone ever makes it alone to the top.
Where we're from matters, always - according to Gladwell.
Take health. The conventional wisdom used to be that health
depends to a great extend on ourselves - our genes.
On our decisions - what we choose to eat, how we exercise,
what medical services are available to us.
Then came the Stewart Wolf study of the small city of Roseto
in Pennsylvania. A city where it was common for
many generations to live together under the same
roof, a city of no alcoholism, no drug addiction, and very little crime,
all in a protective social structure insulating citizens from the pressures
of the modern world. The result - improved health. Health
that came from the society surrounding the individual.
A story that sets the stage for Gladwells other
stories about success - success that depends on where we are from and
who we are to begin with.
---
1975 was the dawn of the personal computer age.
That was when the first personal computers made it to
mainstream society. Gladwell mentions the $397 Altair 8800
on the cover of popular electronics in January 1975.
Who was then in a position to take advantage of this?
If you were too old in 1975 you already had a job
working with mainframes and were probably not that
interested in doing something new (and risky). So we can
rule out all those born before say 1952 ... And you couldn't
be to young either. Not surprisingly
Bill Gates (55), Paul Allen (53) and Steve Balmer (56) clocks
the precise right age. Along with Steve Jobs (55), Eric Schmidt (55)
etc.
That they eventually win the game comes down to
practice (before anyone else has it) -
a community that gives them the opportunity
to put in the 10.000 hours of practice that it takes
to become good at anything. A nearby university that allows
Bill G. to work with computers at an early age (and give
him more practice time under his belt than competitors).
Sure intelligence is important - but only up to a point -
If you have I.Q. above a certain threshold, having more I.Q.
wont make you more successful. What matters then is how well
you do a divergence tests. In divergence tests, there
isn't a simple right answer - but it is all about where you can go
with what you have - a word, an image. In short imagination.
In an old Califonia study kids are I.Q. tested, and the results
are compared with their position in life later on. The brightest
(I.Q. wise) kids don't end up all that well, and the study doesn't pick out
the kids who eventually becomes nobel laureates. The divergence
part is missing.
To make it and be a success you need to be "streetclever" as well.
Take Oppenheimer. Robert Oppenheimer was appointed to scientific director of
the Manhattan project. He doesnt know anything about
equipment, is very impractical - and worse still -in graduate
school he tried to kill his tutor. Thats not good on a C.V.
Here you need practical intelligence to talk your case to
others and get what you want. Obviously, Oppenheimer was
good at this also. And gets the job - ahead of brighter and better people?!
Gladwells message is clear enough. Intelligence is
relevant only up to a point. Then you need hard work and
opportunity. Where hard work is a prison sentence only
if has no meaning.
Different cultures have different ideas
about hard work. And how meaningful it is.
Kalahari bushmen works 1000 hours a year,
and hasnt taken to agriculture as there are still plenty of
mongongo nuts in their world. Peasants in Europe
worked 1200 hours a year, much in the summer, little in the winter.
Rice field workers in China worked 3000 hours a year.
Gladwell argues that this work morale is what
benefits students doing science and math today. Simply - more work.
And not a problem if is considered meaningful work. If the
culture says it is meaningful.
The garmant industry in New York around 1900 was another
place of hard work - where east european jews could use
their skills in the modern world. Learning the ropes
so to speak - not surprisingly Gladwell sees a straight line from
this to successful jewish lawyers and doctors later in the 20th
century.
Success is grounded in advantages and inheritance -
some deserved, some not.
A brilliant book that makes you a little wiser on the world.
-Simon