Circa 1600,
Shakespeare wrote “the world is the place from which
one can extract success and profit, as a pearl can be extracted from an
oyster.” Perhaps
there exists a formula that justifies why some people achieve more greatness
than others. Great success may include a constructive atmosphere coupled with
innate intelligence and perseverance. If the right balance is achieved, then
the colloquialism, the world is your oyster, should prevail, über alles.
Thomas Edison
was quoted as saying, “genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine
percents perspiration.” So is being talented a result of hard work rather than
an innate insight or aptitude? According
to Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers,
one can achieve expert status in any given discipline by sheer practice. Gladwell explains, “Practice isn’t the thing
you do once you’re good, but the thing you do that makes you good.” He argues that innate intellect (for example,
the traits that an IQ test reflects) and talent play a lesser role and with
10,000 hours of practice and hard work anyone can achieve greatness. To justify
this premise, the 10,000 hour rule comes from a study done by psychologist Andres
Ericsson, which looked into the amount of time violin students practiced their
craft since they started playing. Ericsson found the best players had practiced
over 10,000 hours (or 20 hours a week for 10 years) followed by mediocre
students at under 8,000 hours.
In contrast, to
Gladwell and Ericsson, psychologists David Hambrick and Elizabeth Meinz, cited
their own research, in the New York Times piece, Sorry, Strivers: Talent Matters, which looked at working memory
capacity of pianists. They assessed their practice habits and measured their
working memory capacity (a component of intellect); by having them perform two
tasks simultaneously and then sight reading music without prior
preparation. The evidence was clear that
a positive correlation existed between hours of practice and sight reading.
However, working memory capacity also had an impact on their performance. They concluded that a pianist with greater
working memory capacity will perform the task much better than a counterpart
with less working memory capacity, given that both had the same amount of
practice.
In an interview
with Bill Gates, Gladwell revealed that Gates had access to a computer to
practice with at a time when computers were not easily accessible. This gave
Gates an advantage to practice more and ultimately become a billionaire. Gladwell even admits that without access
Gates would still be “a highly intelligent and successful professional, however
he may not have become a billionaire.” Regardless of Gladwell’s point of view,
his interview is a true testament to the formula for real success. Gates had
the right environment (access to computer), coupled with the right genes
(innate intelligence), and the right amount of practice (10,000 hour rule).
This idea is
exemplified by professor, Gary Marcus, in his book Guitar Zero, which takes the reader on a journey with the
protagonist, Gary himself, as he endeavors through a labyrinth, form rewiring
his brain to learning the Tyranny of Twelve Against Seven, to ultimately play
the guitar. Through his arduous process, Marcus develops a deeper understanding
of what makes a great musician like Jimi Hendrix and he is skeptical that
greatness comes from either practice or innate talent. He writes that, “cognitive activities are a
product of the mind, and the mind is a product of genes working together with
the environment. To dismiss talent is to ignore all evidence from biology.”
Marcus even extends his argument that practice has some innate characteristics
and, “even practice is not independent of biology.” He believes that the highest level performers
are those that “combine the greatest talent with the most practice, its nature
working together with nurture” and his formula for success makes sense!
Was Hermes (Olympian
god and patron to athletes) looking down from mount Olympus and randomly decided,
Usain Bolt should become the fastest runner in the world or Michael Phelps
should become the greatest swimmer. The
Washington Post article said it best, “Michael Phelps’ legacy, a testimony to
hard work as much as talent.” These men
had the right genes or body structures and with hard work and the good coaches
and support they achieved greatness in their sport. Marcus even explains the role and importance
of a good teacher, and explains, “It’s not about the technique; it’s about the
teacher,” who can point out the mistakes and flaws, but keep the student
motivated and allow them to be creative.
Perhaps
Shakespeare was on to something when he wrote in the Twelfth Night, “be not afraid of greatness: some are born great,
some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon’em.” Maybe Marcus
would agree that it is the combination of all three that make person achieve
greatness!
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