Outliers Book Review - How Success Really Works

Outliers Book Review. How Success Really Works? We will use knowledge from Outliers by Malcom Gladwell to answer this question.

Most of us know the Pareto 80/20 principle. If you are not familiar with it, it is the idea that a small number of things account for the majority of the results. While most of us apply this idea in work and business, it was first an economic principle. The majority of the wealth in a nation is controlled by a minority. So why does this happen? Why is it that so few people win and enjoy the bulk of the rewards of life? We will answer exactly that and how you can use this knowledge to come out on top of any competition.

Most of us know someone who racks up success after success. While skill, talent, and even luck come into play when determining if someone comes out on top of a particular endeavor, there is a science behind winning. It all goes back to your foundation. To understand this, lets look at an example from nature.

Imagine two plants growing side by side. Each day they compete for sunlight and soil. If one plant can grow just a little bit faster than the other, then it can catch more sunlight, and soak up more rain. The next day, the plant can grow even more with the new nutrients. This pattern continues until the stronger and bigger plant crowds the other out and takes the lion's share of nutrients. The small plant has no other means of surviving in this position and the bigger plant is in a position to reproduce for the next generation. The concept that a small advantage gets bigger and bigger over time is called accumulative advantage.

The concept of accumulative advantage can best be summarized by this paragraph from Outliers: The Story of success by Malcom Gladwell. It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success. It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention. And it’s the biggest nine- and ten-year-olds who get the most coaching and practice. Success is the result of what sociologists like to call “accumulative advantage”.

As humans, we are no different from the plants. We all compete for the same resources. Business owners compete for the same potential sale. Athletes compete for the same trophy. Social media companies compete for the same hour of your attention. Students compete for the same job position. In these situations, the winner takes all. There is only one trophy to win. One job position that needs to be filled. One sale to complete. Being just slightly better than the competition allows you to win and take everything. You are oh so slightly better and you get the entire reward. The loser gets nothing.

From their winning position, the winner has the opportunity to do even bigger things. They are in the midst of accumulating advantages to enable more victories down the future. Winning one competition improves your odds of winning the next. A prestigious college leads to a prestigious internship which leads to a high paying job which leads to a high corporate leadership position.

Unlike the example with the plants, its not just genetics that play the part. Luck and timing is a big factor of success. Think about the story of Bill Gates. We all recognize him as someone that rose to the top with his ambition and brilliance. But what if he didn’t go to a high school with a computer club with time shared computers? Most high schools didnt even have computer clubs and time shared computers was a revolutionary concept at the time where programming was done in punch cards. The Bill Gates we know today would cease to exist if he didnt have that extraordinary opportunity.

- The Life Formula

Видео Outliers Book Review - How Success Really Works канала The Life Formula