“What it takes to be great”
Monday, October 23rd, 2006Just read a really good article on cnnmoney.com titled “What it takes to be great”. The article says resarch shows that it’s not natural talent that determines great success, but rather it’s hard work and practice. I don’t think this is anything new, but I would say that the true elements of success are at a higher level: namely passion, desire, and discipline. Of course success takes hard work, but what makes someone do the work ? It’s really the desire to be great, and the discipline to put in the work to achieve that greatness.
A couple of interesting points from the article:
- The notion of the “ten-year rule”: it takes a minimum of 10 years of practice to achieve world-class status
- Just practicing isn’t enough - it’s “deliberate practice”, or intense practice focused on improvement, that achieves greatness
- Constant feedback is crucial in achieving greatness - measuring performance consistently
- Becoming great at business is possible just like with sports, with the right mindset of practicing regularly and deliberately, with a focus on improvement
