“Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell is a non-fiction book that has sold over 4 million copies and was the third bestselling non-fiction paperback of 2008. Gladwell’s thesis is that two factors largely determine how successful an individual will be at one endeavor: opportunity and talent. Thus, for example, talented individuals do not become successful without opportunities to advance their talents and exhibit them.
Gladwell argues that successful individuals are the beneficiaries of hidden advantages, which allow them to develop their talent in ways the average person could never imagine. This article is based on this book.
1. The 10,000-Hour Rule (or Deliberate Practice)
Gladwell explains how deliberate practice can make a person great at anything they do. The key is to practice a specific task repeatedly under the supervision and once the particular skill begins to feel automatic, continue practicing it on your own time. For example, many musicians learn best by studying under a knowledgeable instructor instead of playing by ear alone.
Gladwell urges readers to overcome their psychological barriers towards accepting the validity of the 10,000-hour rule by noticing that “the people who are now stars in their field, whatever it is, have spent an average of ten thousand hours practicing their craft.” Unfortunately, one common mistake many people make is to assume that you must accumulate this amount of time all at once. To illustrate this point, Gladwell compares the path to greatness to an escalator ride, often taking years to accomplish even the smallest of gains.
2) Opportunity + 98% Perspiration = Success
Gladwell notes that many successful people have been lucky and skilled. Still, success breeds further luck because those destined for greatness will eventually come upon the right opportunities. But, more importantly, Gladwell argues that besides opportunity and talent, a third factor determines how successful a person can be in any one pursuit: effort.
3) The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes
Gladwell dedicates a section of his book to the “ethnic theory of plane crashes,” which he developed from research by Professor Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow of Lille, France. In short, M’bow found that when an airplane experienced difficulties in its landing sequence, white male pilots tended to handle the situation successfully. In contrast, black pilots had a fatalistic attitude and were more likely to panic.
4) The Peter Principle: Success Kills Some People
Gladwell points out that success can be a double-edged sword that often leads to failure. He supports this assertion with several examples from modern society, arguing that “the very skills that made [successful] men successful become obsolete.” For instance, when a fast-rising executive fails in his role in the business world, he is often too full of himself and unwilling to change.
5) The Matthew Effect: Success Breeds Success
Gladwell claims that success does not just breed success, but it also breeds failure. The author uses examples from academic research to illustrate how success can depend on the reputation of an institution that one succeeds in. For instance, he claims that the most successful founders of companies are often tied to their alma mater because there is no substitute for the credibility of an Ivy League institution.
6) Birth Order
Gladwell argues that birth order has a significant impact on an individual’s success. By his definition, first-born children are more likely to be successful because they are the only child for a reasonable period, allowing them to develop their distinct talents with greater ease. Furthermore, later-borns often can enjoy opportunities that were not available during their older siblings’ developmental years.
7) The Power of Context (and the Name Game)
Gladwell says that despite the seemingly minor nature of situational context, it can have an extreme effect on how well an individual does in a particular situation. He uses examples to illustrate how bias might play a role when deciding whether or not to give someone a job and how an individual’s name might be a deciding factor in whether or not they get into a school.
8) Mind Your Peers
Gladwell claims that individuals tend to be more successful when they are part of a group because their peers push them to work harder. He argues that the most critical factor in determining one’s success is how well your peers perform, rather than how well you do individually. Therefore, Gladwell says, you should make sure to choose your peers carefully.
9) Do You Know Your Strengths?
Gladwell mentions that successful people often do not know their strengths, and as a result, they tend to be overconfident about what they can achieve. It is difficult for them to comprehend failure because they refuse to acknowledge their limitations and refuse to listen to the advice of others.
10) The Power of “Now.”
Malcolm Gladwell says that when you look back at your life, it is easy for obvious turning points or big moments to seem easily predictable with the benefit of hindsight. But, in reality, we often fail to predict such essential turning points. He uses real-life examples to illustrate the idea that the most critical moments in our lives are often difficult to predict because they are happening now. The author gives an example of a computer program that could successfully predict stock market downturns up to six months before they happened, but which for some reason failed to predict 9/11.
11) Know Your History
Gladwell says that many successful people understand their history, and they often use it to their advantage. He uses examples from various fields to illustrate his points, such as the fact that top American football players are more likely to come from a state where their sport is popular. Furthermore, companies that have been around for a long time tend to outperform startups in the business world.
12) You Can Do Something About Your Brain
Gladwell claims that successful people realize what he calls their own “sites,” meaning they focus on developing specific skills and talents rather than pretending to be something they are not. It is the idea that you can’t become “legitimate” by imitating others, but instead, it is essential to discover your niche.
13) How We Relate to Time
Gladwell brings up the importance of seeing time as either open or closed. He says that those who see time as available are more likely to succeed because they embrace change and don’t let themselves be limited by being unable to change something due to an arbitrary time frame. Furthermore, they show a more remarkable ability to plan for the distant future rather than focusing on short-term needs or desires.
14) Nature vs. Nurture
Gladwell says that success is not completely based on one’s natural talents, but rather it is a combination of natural-born abilities and learned, practiced skills. He also notes that the personality traits necessary for success vary from job to job, so being open to trying out new career paths could be beneficial.
15) Fitting In vs. Standing Out
Gladwell says successful people often choose to stand out rather than fit in, and they are often motivated by competition rather than conformity. However, he claims that standing out has benefits because it allows the individual to develop a unique style or method that other people will not replicate. Malcolm Gladwell concludes his book by explaining that success is achieved through the combination of opportunities, talent, effort, timing, and luck. He argues that each of us has a unique set of abilities and that finding the place to use those talents is vital to becoming successful in life.
In conclusion, Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers: The Story of Success” contains many valuable pieces of advice and lessons on how to be more successful in everyday life.