I'm Happy after buyingThis The Talent Code Greatness Grown
There's been a lot written on this subject over the past few years and I've read much of it including:Outliers, Talent is Overrated, The Talent Code, and Open. Yes, I would include Open, the auto-biography of Andre Agassi, to be a contribution to this theme. I'll explain why at the end.
Of these books, I think that the Talent Code is the most actionable for people who are looking to build skill and expertise for themselves, their kids, or their employees.
The book talks at length about how skill is built through mindful practice that develops myelin, a sort of neuron insulator. The key principles are that as we practice we strengthen certain neural pathways with myelin. To be exceptional at something is to have built up more myelin connections than average people.
The way we do that is through about 10,000 hours of mindful practice.
You'll certainly need a lot of drive to put in that amount of practice, and the book talks about what types of environments and cultures help contribute to that drive and even suggests how such a culture can be developed.
And it helps to have a great coach.
The book has lots of stories about mindful practice, hotbeds of talent, and great coaches. From these stories it draws principles that we can apply as individuals.
Outliers is a wonderful book and does a better job of illustrating the role that luck and cirumstances have to do with success. The Talent Code does a better job of helping you really understand what you can do as an individual to develop talent.
Open is a great auto-biography, and you'll get a first-hand look of one man's journey to becoming the best in the world at his chosen profession. It absolutely supports the theories in The Talent Code that says it is the thousands of hours of hard work, not god-given talent, that makes someone outstanding. It also shows the true cost of that type of commitment and practice and makes you ask the question if you're really up to the challenge or truly desire to be the best in the world at a competitive undertaking.
Get your The Talent Code Greatness Grown Now!