My Review
Great insight into how world class performers become world class. It's all about "Deliberate Practice"
This book, as well as what Adam suggested during my bootcamp, has made take the jump and buy a miniature camera to record my approaches. This allows me to be able to go over and critique my approaches, as well as send them to Adam for his take on them as well.
Book Description
Asked to explain why a few people truly excel, most people offer one of two answers. The first is hard work. Yet we all know plenty of hard workers who have been doing the same job for years or decades without becoming great. The other possibility is that the elite possess an innate talent for excelling in their field. We assume that Mozart was born with an astounding gift for music, and Warren Buffett carries a gene for brilliant investing. The trouble is, scientific evidence doesn't support the notion that specific natural talents make great performers.
According to distinguished journalist Geoff Colvin, both the hard work and natural talent camps are wrong. What really makes the difference is a highly specific kind of effort-"deliberate practice"-that few of us pursue when we're practicing golf or piano or stockpicking. Based on scientific research, Talent is Overrated
Book Summary
Deliberate Practice Defined
Sometimes it’s easier to tell what deliberate practice isn’t. Colvin uses his efforts of hitting golf balls at the driving range as an example of practice that doesn’t result in improved performance. Deliberate practice requires that one identify certain sharply defined elements of performance that need to be improved. In most cases people can only do so with the help of an expert teacher in the field. One needs to work on skills and abilities that are just out of reach (learning zone) rather than those that are already mastered (comfort zone) or those that are too hard (panic zone). High repetition is the most important difference between deliberate practice of a task and performing the task for real.
It's Not Fun
Deliberate practice requires focus and concentration, which makes it mentally taxing and not likely to be a lot of fun. A finding across disciplines is that four or five hours a day seems to be the upper limit. “If you’re practicing with your mind, you couldn’t possibly keep it up all day.” Feedback is another important feature. In sports you can usually see the results of your efforts, but in sports and all other areas, feedback from a teacher, coach, or mentor is vital. Great performers never allow themselves to reach the automatic, arrested-development stage. The essence of their practice is constantly tying to do the things they cannot do comfortably. One’s circumstances also play a part.
How It Works
It’s all about pushing ourselves just beyond what we can currently do. Rather than pushing beyond our limitations, sometimes we can work around them. Top tennis pros learn where a serve is going by watching the opponent’s body before he strikes the ball. This makes their reaction time seem faster as they think into the future of where the ball will be. You need to develop the perspective of looking ahead, be it a second or a lot longer depending on your field. (Doug: In my case it was watching kids on the playground or in the cafeteria.) You also need to learn how to make finer discriminations. Build up your knowledge-base, and your ability to remember chunks of information that is vital to what you do. Knowledge is power. Attempts to build computer expert systems without deep domain knowledge have all failed. As you develop a deep knowledge base, your brain’s structure will actually change to accommodate this effort.
Three Models
and lays out how any mere mortal can achieve greatness. Got a few interesting view points on things, such as recording yourself while deliberately practicing whatever you're trying to become world class in. shares the secrets of extraordinary performance and shows how to apply these principles. It features the stories of people who achieved world-class greatness through deliberate practice-including Benjamin Franklin, comedian Chris Rock, football star Jerry Rice, and top CEOs Jeffrey Immelt and Steven Ballmer.
- The music model: This is where you practice something that is written down, so it applies well to writing and presenting. Try to deliver, record, and watch your presentations if you want to improve.
- The chess model: This is where you study positions from games played by masters. In business and education it goes by the case method, where you are presented with a problem and you have to come up with a plan of action. It allows one to focus on specific skills.
- The sports model: This is where you build strength and endurance and then practice specific skills. In non sport areas, is means getting stronger at the underlying cognitive skills you already have. You must actively work on learning more about your field and on how to use what you learn when you are in situations that are unpredictable. Build a mental model on which you can hang your growing knowledge. This will help you project what will happen next.
Before-During-After
- Before the work: Set goals that are attainable in the near future and make a specific plan for getting there. You must also believe you can do it.
- During the work: You need to focus on what you are doing. This is called metacognition. As situations change you can use this information to react.
- After the work: Practice is worthless without feedback. Try to compare your performance to your previous efforts and appropriate established standards. Take responsibility for your actions and don’t blame outside factors. After you do this, decide how you are going to adapt your actions the next time you do the work.
Passion
Where the passion one needs to engage in the hours and years of deliberate practice needed to become great comes from is a question in need of more research. Colvin is convinced that the motivation required is intrinsic, since creative types rank high on tests of intrinsic motivation. As much of a grind as deliberate practice is, it seems to be filling an inner need. Extrinsic rewards can defeat creativity unless they reinforce intrinsic drives. Some people may be born with a compulsion to work in a specific domain.
Students who learn faster are rewarded by the results of their efforts. Passion is something that is developed and may require a push from parents. Small advantages can lead to larger advantages. This is called the multiplier effect. Early recognition by teachers may cause children to invest time in improving performance. Starting early will help one appear better than their peers. It is vital that one believes that their efforts will allow them to achieve their goals.
Where the passion one needs to engage in the hours and years of deliberate practice needed to become great comes from is a question in need of more research. Colvin is convinced that the motivation required is intrinsic, since creative types rank high on tests of intrinsic motivation. As much of a grind as deliberate practice is, it seems to be filling an inner need. Extrinsic rewards can defeat creativity unless they reinforce intrinsic drives. Some people may be born with a compulsion to work in a specific domain.
Students who learn faster are rewarded by the results of their efforts. Passion is something that is developed and may require a push from parents. Small advantages can lead to larger advantages. This is called the multiplier effect. Early recognition by teachers may cause children to invest time in improving performance. Starting early will help one appear better than their peers. It is vital that one believes that their efforts will allow them to achieve their goals.
