Outliers- The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
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Web ID: 15623413My summary
Below is my summary from Littler Books. I hope you find it helpful! 1. Our society romanticizes the idea of a self-made individual, attributing success and achievement solely to innate abilities and personal efforts. In reality, extraordinary success is heavily influenced by factors such as cultural legacy, opportunities, and timing. 2. Politicians like Jeb Bush have used the rhetoric of a “self-made-man” to bolster their image, despite coming from extremely privileged backgrounds. Outliers like Bush are statistically rare. The idea of a self-made person is a widely accepted but misleading myth. 3. One's ability and innate capacity can be the foundations of success, but eventually they become more irrelevant after you reach a certain threshold. For example, just because you have an exceptionally high IQ does not mean you will win a Nobel Prize. Once a sufficient amount of expertise is achieved, traits such as social skills, connections, or luck become more important for success. 4. To be outstanding in your field, you need a lot of practice. Studies show that achieving world-class mastery in anything requires a critical minimum amount of 10,000 hours of practice. 5. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to practice for 10,000 hours. You need to have early exposure, access to the necessary resources and equipment, and support from family and friends. Bill Gates is one of the few people who met this criteria during the nascence of the field of personal computers. 6. Being born in the right place at the right time plays a crucial role in success. People like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs all had ambition and practical intelligence, but what made them ultra successful was the unique opportunities they were able to capitalize on. They were born at the right time to take advantage of their access to new technologies and be at the perfect age to start their companies. This is why many software tycoons were born between 1954 and 1956. 7. The month of your birth and your relative age compared to others in your developmental group can have a significant impact on your success. In Canadian youth-hockey leagues, the annual cutoff date for age groups is January 1, which causes younger children born in December to compete with those who are essentially a year older than them. This age difference is significant when you're young, and it creates a cumulative advantage, in which small initial advantages can lead to greater opportunities and success over time. In this case, older children are favored and receive more opportunities for improvement. This is why there are more players in the NHL born in January, February, and March than any other months. 7a. This cumulative advantage or disadvantage from your birth date also applies to other areas, such as schools. A six-year-old can become discouraged and disadvantaged if her peers are mostly seven year olds. 8. Once you reach a certain level of skill, natural abilities matter less than practical intelligence, which involves knowing how to navigate social situations (e.g., dealing with authority). Wealthier parents tend to instill practical intelligence and a sense of entitlement in their children through attention and enriching activities, while poorer parents are less likely to teach these skills, which can significantly reduce their children's chances of success. 9. Your geographical and cultural background can affect your success. For example, there is truth to the stereotype that Asians are good at math. In many Asian countries, math is integrated into language learning and so the children develop math skills earlier. Furthermore, Asian countries' history of reliance on rice farming, which is more difficult than farming Western crops, developed a lasting legacy of strong work ethic. Studies have shown that students in Western countries give up on math problems far sooner than students in Eastern countries do. 10. Cultural legacies can also be harmful. For example, Korean Air had an abnormally high rate of plane crashes. An explanation is the Korean culture's tendency to respect authority figures and defer to higher-ranking individuals, which led to communication failures where pilots were hesitant to speak freely and clearly to their superiors. After addressing this issue, Korean Air's crash-rate improved to normal. 11. The uneven playing fields that exist in various fields of life can hinder people from succeeding. For instance, annual cutoff dates in hockey mean that some juniors born late in the year have to compete against older and more experienced players, resulting in lower confidence and lost opportunities. Similarly, children from disadvantaged backgrounds may not have access to the same opportunities as those from wealthier families. However, by recognizing these flaws in the system and dividing young hockey players into narrower age groups or creating programs for low-income children, we can create more opportunities and reduce the impact of external factors on success.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Poker
No, this book is not about poker. It’s not about gambling and has nothing to do with casinos or card games. I chose the title, Poker, because this book is all about the cards you're dealt in life. More specifically, this book is about how successful people not only work hard, but are given an extraordinary opportunity for a pathway to success. The book itself is its own title: an outlier. In my personal experience, books about success often focus on the habits and characteristics of people we consider “successful”. Rather than taking this similar approach, this book dives into the uncontrollable patterns that fortunate people are given. Everywhere from your IQ to your hockey skills. Extraordinary people 10 times out of 10 were at once given an extraordinary opportunity to succeed, whether they knew it or not. In poker terms I could say this: the people who went all in and won the pot, must have been dealt a good hand. I would highly recommend this book for anyone trying to get a better understanding on what surrounds Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers in this world.
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Ten top ideas in the book
1. Success is not only a product of individual talent and hard work, but also of external factors such as cultural legacy, family background, and historical opportunities. 2. The "10,000 Hour Rule" suggests that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert in a particular field. 3. Cultural legacies, such as the "power distance index" or "collectivism" can shape how people think, behave and interact in society, influencing their chances of success. 4. Birth dates can play a significant role in shaping individuals' opportunities and success. For example, individuals born in January are often over-represented in competitive sports because of the age cutoff dates. 5. Family background and upbringing, such as access to education, resources, and supportive parents, can have a significant impact on an individual's success. 6. The "Matthew Effect" suggests that those who are already successful are more likely to be given additional opportunities and resources, while those who are not successful are more likely to be denied such opportunities. 7. Success is often a product of timing and being in the right place at the right time, rather than solely based on individual merit. 8. The concept of "cultural capital" suggests that an individual's background and cultural experiences can influence their chances of success. 9. Understanding and acknowledging the advantages and disadvantages provided by our backgrounds can help us appreciate the circumstances that shape our lives and the lives of others. 10. Emphasizing collaboration and community can help individuals overcome the limitations of their backgrounds and achieve greater success.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Not good book
Not good book but serves as a nice plate to eat things off of, but you need a hardback to do that so I'm knocking 1 star off
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Not my cup of tea
If you are looking for a page turner, this is not it. I had to read this for school and I couldn’t absorb anything because I kept spacing out
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Sensational Book!
The world fosters competition at an exponential pace and this read awards you with a perfect inspiration to be distinctive within that massive competition. Learning about The Beatles' outstanding success in the music industry to the advancement of Microsoft in the technical world, a journey through this books captivates you to find headstarts to the race of your success!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Insightful
Insightful, a book anyone can take a lesson or two from.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com