Book Review: Outliers

My favorite author is Malcolm Gladwell. I learned about him six years ago when he was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended. I was so impressed with him then that I immediately went out and purchased his book, The Tipping Point. A few years later I read Gladwell's next book, Blink. Absolutely loved it! If you first head about Gladwell from Outliers, go back and read these other two books. You won't be disappointed.

About a year ago Outliers came out. Everyone was a buzz about the latest observations and research on what makes people successful. I wanted the book. I asked for the book. Nothing. Last year we heard Gladwell speak at a conference in DC. Still, I never got around to buying Outliers. For Christmas, Santa finally came through.

In this book Gladwell explores some of the characteristics of successful people. He claims that it isn't just hard work and dedication that has made these individuals success, but that there are other factors that influence their success. Gladwell states," Superstar lawyers and math whizzes and software entrepreneurs appear at first blush to lie outside ordinary experience. But they don't. They are products of history and community, of opportunity and legacy. Their success is not exceptional or mysterious. It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky - but all critical to making them who they are. The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all."

I have to agree that success doesn't come down to just one factor. While hard work can certainly influence someone's future, sometimes the advantages that people have come down to circumstance. Bill Gates was born in a time where he could become a software giant. The Beatles hit at a time when Rock and Roll was in its infancy. Neither of these things came down to hard work, rather it was an opportunity that just happened.

I do think that Outliers points out the amount of time and energy it requires to take advantage of the breaks that come along. The Beatles didn't happen overnight. Great students are developed after years of extra time engaged in learning. For me, the key issue of this book is preparing myself and my children to learn and develop skills throughout our lives and having the courage to move forward when there's a chance to succeed.