I just finished reading Geoff Colvin book “Talent is Overrated”
Talent is a process that “grows,” not a pre-determined set of skills
The question is: “What does great performance require?”
In this book, Colvin shares several insights generated by hundreds of research studies whose major conclusions offer what seem to be different perspectives on what is frequently referred to as “talent.”
In this context, I am reminded of Thomas Edison’s observation that “vision without execution is hallucination.” If Colvin were asked to paraphrase that to indicate his own purposes in this book, is that his response would be, “Talent without deliberate practice is latent” and agrees with Darrell Royal that “potential” means “you ain’t done it yet.” In other words, there would be no great performances in any field (e.g. business, theatre, dance, symphonic music, athletics, science, mathematics, entertainment, exploration) without those who have, through deliberate practice developed the requisite abilities.
Have you ever thought that, however different they may be in almost all other respects, athletes such as , Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, Lorena Ochoa, Michael Phelps, Vijay Singh, and Tiger Woods “make it look so easy” in competition because their preparation is so focused, rigorous, and thorough. Obviously, they do not win every game, match, tournament, etc. Colvin’s point is that all great performers “make it look so easy” because of their commitment to deliberate practice, often for several years before their first victory. In fact, Colvin cites a “ten-year rule” widely endorsed in chess circles that “no one seemed to reach the top ranks of chess players without a decade or so of intensive study, and some required much more time.”
Tiger Woods became such a great golf player at an earlier age because he started his ‘deliberate practice’ when he was just two years old. It took him more than ten years to win his first tournament.
Colvin duly acknowledges that deliberate practice “is a large concept, and to say that it explains everything would be simplistic and reductive.” Colvin goes on to say, “Critical questions immediately present themselves: What exactly needs to be practiced? Precisely how? Which specific skills or other assets must be acquired? The research has revealed answers that generalize quite well across a wide range of fields.” Even after committing all of my time and attention to several years of deliberate practice, under the direct supervision of the best instructor I probably could not reduce my handicap to zero but I could lower it under those conditions. Colvin’s insights offer a reassurance that almost anyone’s performance can be improved, sometimes substantially, even if it isn’t world-class. Talent is overrated if it is perceived to be the most important factor. It isn’t. In fact, talent does not exist unless and until it is developed…and the only way to develop it is with deliberate practice. When Ben Hogan was asked the “secret” to playing great golf, he replied, “It’s in the dirt.”
Colvin leaves no doubt that by understanding how a few become great, anyone can become better…
I am now convinced that talent is a process that “grows,” not a pre-determined set of skills. Also, that deliberate practice “hurts but it works.”
I have always loved Henry Ford famous quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
Great performance is not reserved for a preordained few. It is available to you and to everyone.
