Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell:The Secret to Success

A few weeks ago, I finished reading a book by Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers. The premise behind this book was that certain factors contribute to high levels of success in individuals whom he refers to as ‘outliers’ i.e. the very successful. He examines the trends of people who are the most successful in our society today and he points out that “it is not enough to ask what successful people are like, it is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel who succeeds and who doesn’t”[1]. The influence of where someone was born, grew up, their family values and opportunities play a far more important role in how successful they are than we may realise.

Gladwell identifies 4 factors that contribute to successful people:
1. Upbringing – a supportive family structure with strong values and structure provides good grounding for success. Talents are normally identified much earlier in childhood and practice of the talent is encouraged which normally results in more than capable individuals.
2. Practice – as the saying goes “practice makes perfect”, Gladwell proposes that it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours to master a skill and those that achieve 10,000 hours of “practice” will become successful in that skill. The key is to identify one’s skills or talents as early as possible and nurture them to ensure that the “10,000 hours” are under the belt as soon as possible.
3. Opportunity – sometimes all it takes is a bit of luck! Those who are born at the right time, right place, with the right skill are normally more likely to make a success than someone else who is born 10 years later i.e. there can only be one Richard Branson because he was there when his first opportunity arose.
4. Confidence - Gladwell observes that confidence and high self esteem is plays another key element of success. Most successful people have a strong feeling of entitlement and will fight for what they believe in even if means standing up to those in authority.

His analysis of Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) and Robert Oppenheimer (renowned atomic scientist) are very interesting and illustrate his 10,000 hour theory and confidence. In the case of both men, it was their family’s upper class status and values which shaped their lives early on and presented them with the opportunities that allowed them to channel their talents and perfect their talent. When opportunities or luck came along, they had the tools in the box to make a success.

Bill Gates [2] was helped profoundly by his upbringing. The opportunities he received as a child (encouragement to pursue his interests and the opportunity to practice his skills on a computer (one of the first terminal run computers) at his upper middle class school) were vital to his success and set him in the right direction. The fact that he was also growing up at a time when the information technology revolution was taking off was lucky and allowed him to carve his place in the industry. Clocking up hours and hours of programming (he skipped athletics and snuck out of his house at night to programme), meant that he mastered his skill and placed him on his path towards Microsoft.

With Robert Oppenheimer [3], it was his confidence which was instilled in him by his elite family that contributed to his ability to identify opportunities and play the game all the way to the top and not just his intelligence.
The same analysis can be applied to all those whom we see as successful today and it is interesting to see that in most cases, it was all or most of the 4 things that Gladwell identified that made them a success.

I found this book really interesting because it made me look at success in a totally different light. There are some people who seem to have all the tools in the box and blaze through life achieving success after success. The media and self help books will tell us that we are not one of the “Outliers” because we do not have the 7 Habits or the Winning Factor – their premise is that if we just read the book and think positively we will be successful. As many self help book reader will tell you, it is not that simple and yet we are encouraged to keep reading and as a result we become hooked and keep looking for the next best theory.

There has been a lot of criticism on Gladwell's “theory” – some have said it is too simplistic and dismissive of the idea that anyone can be successful as long as they have a good idea and try hard. This may be true, but if we are honest with ourselves how often does that happen? The Williams sisters are at the top of their game because of intensive practice regime from an early age, supportive family (everyone knows how dedicated their father is to their success), confidence and opportunity (had they been born a few years earlier or later, they might not have made such inroads). The same can be said of Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook – he was programming from an early age, had a supportive family structure (he developed software for his family’s company before Facebook), confidence (defended his product to those who doubted him) and opportunity (he was there at the right time!).

Are there any lessons to be learnt from this book? Well, I have only highlighted a couple of the aspects he deals with in the book and it all makes for some interesting reading. What I learnt was that how we are brought up makes more of an effect on who we are than we may realise. It is not about being from a wealthy family as much as being from a supportive family and it is not simply about having a talent, it is about knowing what to do with that talent, mastering it and then being ready to take on the right opportunities. I guess the only question I have is this – are those of us who did not get the right grounding doomed to just being average?

[1] Outliers: Malcolm Gladwell's Success Story http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1858880,00.html
[2] Bill Gates: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates
[3] Robert Oppenheimer: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer

Tales on the Tube

Travelling on the Tube in London is always an interesting experience. Below this bustling city, a thousand stories unfold daily and are played out to an unexpected audience. Everyone who gets on the Tube has a story to tell if you watch and listen carefully. Occasionally, you can catch a glimpse of the soap opera of life in London. Sometimes you are lucky enough to witness a budding love story that unfolds as two people shyly lock eyes with one another across the mad throng of rush hour, and at other times, you witness something so bizarre, you begin to worry about the sanity of the people you commute with every day.

For example, whilst travelling on the Northern line a few days ago, I witnessed something very bizarre and weird that left me a little baffled. A relatively attractive man got on a few stops after me and positioned himself against one of the holding poles in the middle of the train as all the seats were occupied. As he balanced himself rather precariously on the pole, he tried to adjust something on his iPod and almost lost his balance which caught my attention. To help my story along, I am calling him “Mr. iPod”. At the next stop, a "camply" man dressed with a flamboyant yellow scarf hopped on and gracefully moved along the carriage until he was standing a bit too close to Mr. iPod – I am calling him Mr. Too Close for clarity’s sake. Mr. iPod, initially unaware of Mr Too Close, suddenly jerked his head round and looked at Mr. Too Close, who smiled at him in a rather suggestive fashion. I wasn’t quite sure what made Mr. iPod jerk round so suddenly but one can only guess! An awkward moment passed as both men stared at each other, and then an air of peace prevailed as some unspoken compromise was reached by both parties. Mr. iPod seemed to be fine with the invasion of his personal space and went back to fiddling with on his iPod. What he didn’t notice was that Mr. Too Close was looking at him quite intently and was blatantly checking him out. I found this very amusing as Mr. Too Close was not being subtle about it and Mr. iPod was totally oblivious to his new admirer.

At the next stop, Mr. iPod spotted an empty seat and moved a little way along the carriage towards it and sat down. With the pole now free, Mr. Too Close did a little swing on the pole and ended up so that he was facing Mr. iPod who was a few seats away from him. With one had wound around behind his neck and holding on to the pole, he slowly reached into his pocket with his free hand and took out a small camera. He switched it on and holding it against his stomach, he began to click the camera in the direction of Mr. IPod, whilst gyrating his hips in a rather suggestive manner. His face was a picture of pure pleasure. At this point, I had to wonder what the hell was going on and I could tell everyone else in my carriage was thinking the same thing. He clicked the camera faster and faster and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. I could feel the tension in the air as everyone waited for Mr. iPod to look up and see the show that was on just for him. A couple seconds later, he looked up and saw what was going. It took him a second to register and then his face went pale with disbelief. He realized that he was the star of some bizarre mating ritual! Within seconds, his face turned thunderous and he suddenly stood up and moved menacingly towards Mr. Too Close. Mr. Too Close, realizing the game was up, gave Mr iPod a dashing smile and jumped off the now stationary train, just as the doors were closing. Mr iPod was left standing on the train with his fists clenched up against the closed doors, and a look of intense rage. Meanwhile back it the carriage, everyone was trying desperately to avoid eye contact with each other – we all knew that if our eyes met, it would spark off a wave of hysterical laughter that could further enrage Mr. iPod.

To this day, I am still not sure what Mr. Too Close was doing but it definitely made my day. I hate the Tube but it is moments like this that make a stressful journey a little bit more bearable.

The Tears of a People...

Oh Mother Africa, hear your children cry,
We are lost in a sea of confusion and anguish,
Your children have been broken and returned to savagery.
A curse has been cast on us and left us bare,
What remains is desperation.

Oh Mother Africa, hear your children cry,
We have turned on each other – brother killing brother
Your children are dying, bleeding into your heart.
An evil has corrupted our souls and left us hungry for death,
What remains is madness.

Oh Mother Africa, hear your children cry,
We have been stripped of our nobility and pride,
Your children are living with no dignity to speak of.
A plague is destroyed us, leaving weak and defenceless,
What has remains is misery.

A Review of Maxwell's New Album - Black Summer Nights

Maxwell's new album BLACK Summer Nights is another work of genius from one of RnB's most talented brothers. It is a cool mixture of velvet tones and raw emotion that only Maxwell can pull off.

The structure and composition of the music on this album is what was expected. The subtle jazz and soulful undertones are hypnotic and sensual. In Stop the World and Fistful of Tears, the musical poetry transports the listener back to a place we have been before with Maxwell - that place where life is simple and beautiful.

The debut track off this album and my favourite, Pretty Wings, brings back those slow sensual sounds that sets Maxwell apart from the rest and combined with some heartfelt lyrics, Maxwell has produced a perfect "whisper" that evokes a range of powerful emotions that brings us closer to the core of his essence.

Through Playing Possum, we walk alongside a heartbroken lover and share in his lament. The sentiment of loss and sadness is woven together so cleverly by exceptional lyrics, Maxwell's vocal mastery and heightened by the haunting saxaphone in the bridge of the song.

After a 7 year hiatus, this album was well overdue and it will undoubtely awaken those smooth vibes in the musical landscape that have been quietened by the noisy indulgences of recent times.