Talent is Overrated
by Geoff Colvin · first published 1844
63% recommend37% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Argues that world-class performance comes from deliberate practice rather than innate talent, with examples like Mozart, Tiger Woods and Lincoln. Suits anyone wanting to improve at a skill such as programming.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I'd recommend reading "Talent Is Overrated" [0] While I agree that innate talent exists I disagree that it cannot be made up for. [0] - http://www.amazon.com/Talent-Overrated-Separates-World-Class...
on “How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Talent (2014)” ↗…in the field understand it's mostly hard work and interest. However passion isn't the only thing. The amount and type of practice/tinkering is deeply important. My favorite book on this subject is "Talent is overrated" by Geoff Colvin. It directly covers this issue. He breaks it down into time spent working on the fundamentals in a specific way - called deliberate practice and coaching. So the sheer amount of time…
on “There is no talent” ↗…Jeff had said such things. To anyone thinking the same, let me introduce you to the concept of deliberate practice (how to really improve a skill) and please, even if it wasn't published then, read "Talent Is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin. This will probably change your perception on things like excellence, creativity, so-called "talent" and whether it's true that you must be born a genius to become one. And by the way,…
on “How To Become A Better Programmer By Not Programming” ↗10 000 hour rule & Deliberate practice written about in "outliers" by Malcom Gladwell and "Talent is overrated" by Geoff Colvin.
on “Ask HN: Share a gem. Teach me and you.” ↗I'd also say it's worth taking a look at the book Talent is Overrated. It explores HOW you practice, a step beyond the 10,000 hour rule. http://www.amazon.com/Talent-Overrated-World-Class-Performer...
on “Never mind talent: Practice, practice, practice” ↗The most important books I've read in the last 10 yrs (with respect to professional growth) are: Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, by G. Colvin The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by C. Duhigg These books have reshaped how I work and how…
on “Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?” ↗…books about the subject, you could read one of them and learn more. Anders Ericsson, the source of the rule, has a popular science book called "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise" but also "Talent is Overrated" is a great book on the subject. The problem though is all these books are about well understood domains with a pedagogical framework you can grind thru. There is nobody saying this works in a field…
on “Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?” ↗…You probably want to look at examples where this has been done and try to abstract a method out of those. Neil Strauss's The Game (about pick-up artists) is a marvellous example. And Colvin explains in Talent is Overrated how Abraham Lincoln deliberately practiced writing by analysing, simplifying, and trying to reproduce others' writing. If I were to attempt an answer, I'd try something along these lines: 1. Figure…
on “What the Study of Chess Experts Teaches Us About Building a Remarkable Life” ↗Read "outliers" by Malcom Gladwell and "Talent is overrated" by Geoff Colvin taking. 10 000 hours rule to be really good at something and this with deliberate practice. (I am 39, I wish I had read those 2 books and the studies that nurrished when I had your age.)…
on “Ask HN: I'm 20 and I need advice.” ↗…read along with....Hot be a Hacker - Eric Steven Raymond, Great Hackers and Undergraduation-Paul Graham. I agree with the long-term approach or 10 000hrs according to Outliers-Malcolm Gladwell. Also in Talent Is Overrated-Geoff Colvin, you get a good idea on how to become an expert/outstanding performer in any discipline. But.... In Entrepreneurship(Particularly web apps), i disagree that you need to be an expert, i believe…
on “Wannabe entrepreneur symptoms and cures” ↗…other 'A' players and learn from them. - Continually stretch beyond your comfort/"knowledge" zone. - Continually learn new things. ----- Some reading material on the topic: Bounce by Matthew Syed Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
on “Steve Jobs on Average vs Best Software Developers” ↗…do. He has a lot of evidence that it is not some inborn talent but rather (shockingly) a shit-ton of hard work (and the quip "You'll never be Tiger Woods because your dad wasn't Earl Woods"). The book Talent is Overrated[2] is also a decent read on the topic. It also tells the somewhat humorous story of László Polgár[3], who wrote about how he was going to turn his yet to be born children into chess stars through rigorous…
on “Believe you can change ” ↗Talent Is Overrated - Geoff Colvin ( Theory from Anders Ericsson ) The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb The Introvert Advantage - Marti Olsen Laney The Mindful Way Through Depression - Mark Williams et al. Surely You're…
on “Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?” ↗"Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else" by Geoff Colvin is the best book on this topic that i've read.
on “How Athletes Get Great” ↗You may have already come across it if you've read a lot of Stoic philosophy, but 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read. Other books I've really enjoyed are: Talent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin (short version: working hard is more than half the battle) Drive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery) How…
on “Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations? ” ↗