Outliers (The Story of Success)

“An outlying observation, or outlier, is one that appears to deviate markedly from other members of the sample in which it occurs.”
F. E. Grubbs

Outliers (The Story of Success) written by Malcolm Gladwell is a light stimulating read. The author examines the elements of success through asking a number of curious questions such as why are almost all professional hockey players born in the first three months of the year. His answers contain some statistical evidence coupled with vignettes and anecdotal evidence. This is not scholarly sociology but it is interesting and probably closer to the truth than most of us would like to believe.

Basically Gladwell contends that success requires three elements talent, hard work, and luck. Examining everything from professional basketball players to computer programmers the author has concluded that success in any field requires a minimum level of talent or physical attributes. There is some threshold for any profession. Above this line success is possible. Below some certain combination of intelligence, gifts, and ability success is very unlikely. However, it seems 6 inches of talent over this bar is as likely to produce winners as 6 feet over the bar. We all intuitively know this to be true. Many stars in the NFL were not talented enough to be taken in the first round. Many college stars, loaded with natural talent, have proven to be complete busts in the pros.

Why is this true? Gladwell notes that as he studied competence in many divergent fields, including writing, science, and music the magic number 10,000 reappeared on numerous occasions. The author concludes even Mozart, the greatest musical genius in Western Civilization, did not really start to produce first class compositions without his father’s review until he had spent about 10,000 hours writing music. Interviews with many successful men and women (more anecdotal evidence) also support this conclusion.

Lastly, the author observes that talent and hard work are not enough. It turns out Horatio Alger was right. Success requires both Luck and Pluck. Luck is not winning the lottery and moving to Hawaii. Luck is an opportunity. Some generations are demographically blessed with better educations, more job opportunities, or some kind of historical convergence. A hugely disproportionate number of the richest men in history were born in America in the 1830s. Why was that? Why were most of the wealthiest Internet moguls born in a single three year span? They had unusual opportunities because they were the right age when they were in the right place at the right time. In 1968, at age 13 Bill Gates had essentially unlimited access to one of the most advanced computer terminals in the world. He seized this opportunity, completing his 10,000 hour apprenticeship in time to become the richest man in the world.

Luck can also come in the form of associations. Joe Montana, the outstanding quarterback of his generation, was not picked until the 3rd round. Unbelievable! He wasn’t that tall. He didn’t have a rifle arm. He was quick enough but not really fast. However, his coach, Bill Walsh, wanted to install a different kind of offense that did not require a tall drop back passer with a rifle arm or a halfback who could throw the ball. The West Coast Offense was uniquely suited to Joe Montana’s talents. He was quick enough to roll out of the pocket and throw short and intermediate passes with deadly accuracy. After 8 trips to probowl, 4 super bowl rings, and 2 times league MFP, Joe Montana is now a member of the Football Hall of Fame. What if his coach tried to use him as a different kind of quarterback, one requiring a different talent set?

Gladwell examines the importance of cultural legacies. He observes that people who produce tend to have three elements in their jobs autonomy, complexity, and a strong correlation between effort and reward. These attributes tend to get passed down to following generations who then use them to find success in other fields. The author contends this why the children and grandchildren of small time Jewish clothing manufacturers have achieved unusual success in the professions. He also believes it is one of two reasons Asians excel in mathematics. He also demonstrates why Asian deference to authority has caused an excessive number of airplane crashes.

Although Gladwell does examine the importance of what is often called “Emotional Intelligence,” the ability to work with or manipulate the actions of others in one chapter. I believe he spends far too little time on this important subject. The concept of the “self made man” is deeply rooted in the American psyche. The modern world is far too complex and interconnected for the “rugged individual” to succeed without the talents, abilities, and cooperation of others. Microsoft was not built by one man.

Now, how many more of these things do I have to write before I have my 10,000 hours?