A few years ago I read both of Malcolm Gladwell's other bestsellers (The Tipping Point and Blink) and I really like his succinct, data-driven writing style. He doesn't belabor the obvious and supports his arguments with the right amount of evidence - not too much, not too little.
Style-wise, Outliers is much of the same. His arguments flow, carry the right amount of support, and all tie really well to his main thesis: that extraordinary success is not merely a result of innate ability or extraordinary capability, but also a combination of previously unconsidered factors - like your birth date. In his own words:
Biologists often talk about the "ecology" of an organism: the tallest oak in the forest is the tallest not just because it grew from the hardiest acorn; it is the tallest also because no other trees blocked its sunlight, the soil around it was deep and rich, no rabbit chewed through its bark as a sapling, and no lumberjack cut it down before it matured. We all know that successful people come from hardy seeds. But do we know enough about the sunlight that warmed them, the soil in which they put down the roots, and the rabbits and lumberjacks they were lucky to avoid?Sure, I think that many recognize that opportunity and other factors play a role in a person's success, but I don't think they weight their importance enough. It's often the case that extraordinary success is more the result of situations or uncontrolled opportunities rather than intrinsic ability. I particularly like Gladwell's commentary on Canadian hockey leagues and self-fulfilling prophecies - quite interesting.
For me, success will be the result of opportunity and focus. What will I spend my 10,000 hours on? What have I already invested a ton of time in? What opportunities or waves should I try and ride? Or, as Mr. Jobs has said, should I even bother trying to connect the dots now?
Highly recommended.
