Outliers: The story of success

Years after consuming portions of “Outliers: The story of success”, a classic best seller, I finally got down to reading it in full. Its the third non-fiction book in the self-help genre, by Malcom Gladwell. A mix of unusual findings from research and data, the author does a great job of dissecting the back-stories of stalwarts, across fields.

The biggest accusations against the book are that it over-simplifies a nuanced topic, with the author cherry-picking facts to support his viewpoints, and ending up with non-actionable outcomes. I found it still worthwhile to view success through these new lenses, & it does have some actionable takeaways.

To capture Gladwell’s message as a one-liner:

OUTLIER = Talent (IQ above threshold) + Practice (>10,000 hrs) + EQ (practical intelligence) + Opportunity (by luck, earned, handed down)

Expanding the above equation, with just the key takeaways and :

1. Talent: Through the book, talent worship is rubbished, and a case is made that its sufficient to have IQ just over a threshold. No significant linkage to success is demonstrated by IQ levels above this needed minimum. Its useful to know that one needn’t fret for not being the smartest in the room.
2. Practice: Its argued that innate talent will never become expertise without practice. This is where Gladwell comes up with an indicative number of 10,000 hours as a proposed threshold, to convert talent into mastery. A good approximation, it emphasises the need to practice for long periods.
3. EQ: This is a key ingredient showcased, as the ‘practical intelligence’ needed to handle situations, manage people and influence one’s way to success. As something that must be learned, its shown that raw talent & hardwork must be topped with this, and this needs a clear focus.
4. Opportunity: This final link in the puzzle is what the book starts with — a star is a nobody without the right opportunity to make them shine.. either by luck, by earning it rightfully or acquiring it by birth, place or culture. Its crucial to know one’s limitations and try creating opportunities for oneself.

So, perhaps one could learn from the book that ‘Outliers’ are not demigods who have descended from above, but were created through sweat, guidance & precious opportunity, when the basic minimum was available. And that you could try improving your own equation, by working on the needed variables.