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TALENT IS OVERRATEDWhat really separates world-class performers from everybody elseWhy are some people – Tiger Woods, Warren Buffett, Yo-Yo Ma – so incredibly accomplished at what they do, while millions of others in those same fields never become very good? Why are some people so extraordinarily creative and innovative? Why can some continue to perform great at ages when conventional wisdom would deem it impossible? Those are the questions Geoff Colvin set out to answer in Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else. What he found is that almost all of us think we know the answer to those questions: The lucky few superperformers were born with a special gift, an innate ability to do exactly what they do so extremely well. But he found that we’re mostly wrong. A growing body of scientific research shows that it isn’t so – that specific natural abilities don’t explain great performance. Instead, the key is what researchers call deliberate practice – but beware, because it isn’t what most of us do when we think we’re practicing. It’s a well-defined set of activities that world-class performers pursue diligently. More of it equals better performance. Tons of it equals great performance. The surprising reality about great performance presents big opportunities to us and our organizations. Most organizations are terrible at applying the principles of great performance; by becoming better, they can achieve significant competitive advantage. Individually, most of us don’t take advantage of these principles nearly as fully as we might. Using them, we can become much better at anything we do. One of the most frequent reactions from early readers of the manuscript has been: “I want my kids to read this book.” Most profoundly, the research on great performance shows that high achievement isn’t reserved for a preordained few. The price may be high – but it is available to us all.