There have been many rumors about Outlier’s: the success story by Malcolm Gladwell so I decided to give it a read. Basically, the material is a compilation of anecdotes and short stories about success and some of the patterns that surround it.

I’m not going to review the book here, but I will expand on the main topic of what makes someone successful. The book tells what has become ingrained in many of us: hard work, perseverance, resilience, and opportunity are factors that help determine success.

While this is not always the case, generally someone with significant experience is better versed and qualified on a subject than someone with less experience. Gladwell cites that mastering any subject requires 10,000 hours of practice. He provides examples of successful musicians, athletes, and leaders who are changing the technology they apply to. I can say that the most skilled and successful tech professionals I’ve worked with started at a young age, experimenting with networking, building and rebuilding computers, and writing apps for intrigue. If by any chance they started a little later in life, they threw themselves into the subject and applied a strong push to become experts, speeding up their hours of practice and reducing the timeline needed to excel. However, does experience alone make a difference? There are other qualities and traits that I believe help determine someone’s level of success.

  • Intelligence – Intelligence matters up to a point, beyond a reasonable level, studies don’t seem to indicate a big difference. Gladwell’s book shows that having a high enough intelligence to be accepted and completing college is generally the basic and minimum requirement.
  • Mindset/Confidence – a person has to be interested in learning, improving and advancing. Success, like most things, can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you don’t believe you have the ability and lack the desire, little will be accomplished.
  • Curiosity – learning requires analysis and those who are more likely to question things are generally more likely to expand their knowledge.
  • Perseverance/drive/passion – We all face setbacks, but those who truly prosper are those who do not allow disadvantages to prevent us from achieving our goals. Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Vincent Van Gogh, and many other successful inventors and leaders in our history had shortcomings. The key to his success was the will to overcome these obstacles. General interest and care for what is being done is important. We are all more successful when we have an interest in what we are doing and a desire to be the best we can be. We are generally good at what we like and we like what we are good at.
  • Social conscience – understanding our environment, how others perceive us, social and cultural norms are important to interact with others and navigate our success.
  • Moment/Opportunity – Gladwell’s book shows that timing matters. Being in the right place at the right time influences what is available. For example, the material describes a situation where historically certain time periods allow for better education, due to low attendance at universities.
  • Environment – While all other bullets have a direct influence on success, I firmly believe that environment is the single most influential factor in someone’s success. While there needs to be a certain degree of aptitude, interest, and opportunity, I don’t think anything can replace good role models and both formal and informal instruction.

There are many quotes and theories as to whether the above traits are inborn or something that can be acquired. I think it’s a combination of factors. Our past shapes our future, and a challenge or difficulty we face often lays hands on our future, creating a strong will to change or prove otherwise.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Success Story. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.