Talent Is Overrated

Colvin, Geoff.  Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else.  New York, NY: Penguin Group.  228 pages.  $25.95.  [ISBN: 978-1-59184-224-8]

Written by Geoff Colvin, this book takes a look at what it really takes to be a world-class performer.  With an attempt to figure out the mystery of excellent performance, Colvin asks the reader to reconsider their assumptions. According to him, excellent performance is more than what most people assume is a product of innate ability.  Rather, he takes a look at top performers like Steve Ballmer, Jerry Rice, and Mozart and focuses on what contributed to their success. 

Several of the contributing factors Colvin cites are hard work, deliberate practice, goal setting, and the ability to develop intricate mental models of the domain in which you wish to excel in.  While most people think that practice makes perfect, Colvin argues that deliberate practice is what truly contributes to excellent performance.  This type of practice involves high repetition, is mentally demanding, involves continuous feedback and is designed to specifically improve performance. 

It is important to remember that greatness cannot be achieved on one’s own efforts.  For those who begin developing their skills as children, supportive parents and teachers can make all the difference.  In the adult environment, employers can choose to be supportive by providing optimum learning opportunities that improve employees’ skills and value to the organization. 

With the road that leads to excellent performance being long and arduous, what drives some people to achieve performance that leads them to the top of their chosen fields?  Colvin investigates the role of intrinsic and extrinsic drives.  While he believes that intrinsic motivation is the more powerful of the two, in critical moments, the greatest achievers may be motivated by extrinsic forces.  An example he provides is that of scientists James Watson and Francis Crick who were motivated to work extremely hard to find the structure of DNA because they knew they were in a race against other research teams. 

In conclusion, Talent Is Overrated is a valuable book because it prompts you to rethink what you thought you knew about exceptional performance. 

Sophia Guevara
Research Librarian
W.K. Kellogg Foundation