08 02 introductions

INTRODUCTIONS


PURPOSE/AIMS

HOOK

ORIENT KEY
READER TERMS


OPENING SENTENCE
¡  Purpose
¡  “In December 2006 I began visiting tiny places that produce
Everest-size amounts of talent” (Coyle 11).
¡  “What makes Tiger Woods great?” (Colvin).
¡  “Experts are sometimes defined as outliers from the general
population: those more than two standard deviations above
the mean, showing consistently superior performance on
representative tasks from their domain (Ericsson &
Charness, 1994)” (Charness and Tufiash).


EXAMPLE (COLVIN)
( F o r t u n e M a g a z i n e ) - - W h a t m a k e s Ti g e r Wo o d s g re a t ? W h a t m a d e   B e r k s h i re
H a t h a w a y   ( C h a r t s ) C h a i r m a n Wa r re n B u ff e t t t h e w o r l d ' s p re m i e r i n v e s t o r ? We t h i n k
we know: Each was a natural who came into the world with a gift for doing exactly
w h a t h e e n d e d u p d o i n g . A s B u ff e t t t o l d   F o r t u n e   n o t l o n g a g o , h e w a s " w i re d a t
b i r t h t o a l l o c a t e c a p i t a l . " I t ' s a o n e - i n - a - m i l l i o n t h i n g . Yo u ' v e g o t i t - o r y o u d o n ' t .
We l l , f o l k s , i t ' s n o t s o s i m p l e . F o r o n e t h i n g , y o u d o n o t p o s s e s s a n a t u r a l g i f t f o r a
c e r t a i n j o b , b e c a u s e t a rg e t e d n a t u r a l g i f t s d o n ' t e x i s t . ( S o r r y, Wa r re n . ) Yo u a re n o t a

b o r n C E O o r i n v e s t o r o r c h e s s g r a n d m a s t e r. Yo u w i l l a c h i e v e g re a t n e s s o n l y t h ro u g h
a n e n o r m o u s a m o u n t o f h a rd w o r k o v e r m a n y y e a r s . A n d n o t j u s t a n y h a rd w o r k ,
but work of a particular type that's demanding and painful.
B u ff e t t , f o r i n s t a n c e , i s f a m e d f o r h i s d i s c i p l i n e a n d t h e h o u r s h e s p e n d s s t u d y i n g
f i n a n c i a l s t a t e m e n t s o f p o t e n t i a l i n v e s t m e n t t a rg e t s . T h e g o o d n e w s i s t h a t y o u r
l a c k o f a n a t u r a l g i f t i s i r re l e v a n t - t a l e n t h a s l i t t l e o r n o t h i n g t o d o w i t h g re a t n e s s .
Yo u c a n m a k e y o u r s e l f i n t o a n y n u m b e r o f t h i n g s , a n d y o u c a n e v e n m a k e y o u r s e l f
g re a t .


EXAMPLE
Scientific experts are producing remarkably consistent findings across a wide array of fields.
Understand that talent doesn't mean intelligence, motivation or personality traits. It's an
innate ability to do some specific activity especially well. British-based researchers Michael J.
H o w e , J a n e W. D a v i d s o n a n d J o h n A . S l u b o d a c o n c l u d e i n a n e x t e n s i v e s t u d y, " T h e e v i d e n c e w e
have surveyed ... does not support the [notion that] excelling is a consequence of possessing
innate gifts.”
To s e e h o w t h e r e s e a r c h e r s c o u l d r e a c h s u c h a c o n c l u s i o n , c o n s i d e r t h e p r o b l e m t h e y w e r e
t r y i n g t o s o l v e . I n v i r t u a l l y e v e r y f i e l d o f e n d e a v o r, m o s t p e o p l e l e a r n q u i c k l y a t f i r s t , t h e n
m o r e s l o w l y a n d t h e n s t o p d e v e l o p i n g c o m p l e t e l y. Ye t a f e w d o i m p r o v e f o r y e a r s a n d e v e n
decades, and go on to greatness.
The irresistible question - the "fundamental challenge" for researchers in this field, says the
most prominent of them, professor K. Anders Ericsson of Florida State University - is, Why?
How are certain people able to go on improving? The answers begin with consistent
observations about great performers in many fields.
Scientists worldwide have conducted scores of studies since the 1993 publication of a
landmark paper by Ericsson and two colleagues, many focusing on sports, music and chess, in
which performance is relatively easy to measure and plot over time. But plenty of additional
studies have also examined other fields, including business.