One of my favorite authors is Malcolm Gladwell. I have every book he’s written. One of my favorite Gladwell books is Outliers: The Story of Success.
So, why is this book one of my favorites? Because Gladwell gives us a glimpse behind the curtain of success. Gladwell reminds me of the wizard in the movie the “Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland.
In the movie the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends travel to the Emerald City seeking the assistance of the Great Wizard of Oz. When they first meet the wizard, he appears as a ghostly head surround by fire and smoke.
The wizard’s appearance enhances his reputation as an “all-knowing and all-seeing magical being.” During their second meeting, the wizard’s true identity is exposed when Dorothy’s dog pulls back the curtain where the wizard is standing. We learn a wizard is a middle-aged man speaking in a microphone while operating fancy machinery.
My favorite line from the movie is spoken by the wizard when he is exposed by Dorothy’s dog. The classic line is uttered by the wizard when he realizes his secret identity has been revealed. The wizard tells Dorothy and her friends to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
When the wizard is exposed, Dorothy and her friends learn the Wizard is not special. Now I know you are wondering how does the Wizard of OZ connects to Gladwell’s book Outliers. Gladwell is like Dorothy’s dog because he helps us to see behind the curtain of success.
As a leadership coach, clients often ask two questions. What are the components of success? Why are some people more successful than others? Gladwell examines several components that contribute to success.
A consistent theme from the book is the “10,000-Hour Rule,” which was first introduced by K. Anders Ericsson. Ericsson was a Swedish psychologist, whose research focused on human performance and expertise.
Using Ericsson’s research, Gladwell connects success with time spent perfecting your craft. Gladwell examines the Beatles career and demonstrates that the Beetles had over 10,000 hours of playing time before they became famous.
In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, my mentor John Maxwell reminds us of the Law of Process, states, “leadership develops daily, not in a day.”
During your journey, you will encounter numerous bumps on the road. How you persevere and continue to grow will determine your success.
“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
Vince Lombardi
Success doesn’t happen overnight! It takes time and a lot of hard work.
Are you positioning yourself for success?
#YourLeadershipGuide
Kim
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