Midway Review: Outliers

            Like David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell’s third book, Outliers, has not been a letdown.  I’ve learned a lot already, and I am looking forward to continuing.  But first, let me fill you in on what I’ve read so far.

            At this point the main lesson I’ve picked up on is that success doesn’t happen just by chance or through the remarkable efforts of an individual.  There are a lot of different factors that contribute to success, and not only are there specific times and events and dates, but there are also unique combinations that have proven to be beneficial.  These underlying causes are quite profound, as they can be used to predict not only favorable outcomes (becoming, say, one of the richest people in the world) but also to calculate when and why someone or something might not turn out positively.  Utilizing factors such as business opportunities and time to explore certain fields for approximately 10,000 hours is often enough to distinguish masters from everyone else -- to define outliers, in other words.  But as Gladwell notes, “ten thousand hours is an enormous amount of time.  It’s all but impossible to reach that number all by yourself by the time you’re a young adult” (42).  Having the good fortune of being raised by and in a position filled with supportive family members, peers, professionals, and other resources definitely does not hurt.

            While it is now apparent that many different forces play into our common definition of a successful man or woman, Gladwell doesn’t fail to acknowledge what people do to propel themselves to the top.  There are useful external factors such as having a good education and working opportunities and being surrounded by businesses and schools with incredible resources.  However, none of this matters if you don’t take advantage of the available resources.  Repeated, purposeful exposure to these elements is a driving force in what makes some win and some lose.  Gladwell posits that “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good.  It’s the thing you do that makes you good” (42).

            As always, it’s difficult to predict the exact anecdotes and analyses that Gladwell will use to back up his points, but from my prior experience and a little knowledge of what lies ahead, I predict that he’ll continue to talk about what sets successful people/cultures/businesses apart from others by using such an example as pilots and their origins.

            Gladwell’s books are very much grounded in evidence and facts, but the casual tone and plethora of relatable examples make the books feel less like a long thesis paper and more like an intriguing conversation.  I can’t wait to finish Outliers, and I hope you’ll check back for my final commentary!