Experts are made, not born
What does it take to become an expert? Do you need talent, education, intellect or hard work? Theodore Roosevelt was known for his extraordinary willpower and he believed that self-discipline is a decisive factor. This thought has been researched extensively over the years. Forty years ago Herbert Simon and William Chase concluded that a chess masters has spent between 10,000 to 50,000 hours staring at chess positions to reach their level of expertise. Subsequent studies have come with similar conclusion: it takes a lot of practice to reach an expert level at the complex tasks. Malcolm Gladwell popularised the rule of 10 000 hours to become a master - a nice number of a symbolic nature rather than exact calculation - similar to 10 000 steps for physical activity. It sticks and emphasises the key point of lengthy and painful process of building the strong expertise.
Deliberate Practice: The Key, But Not the Only Ingredient
If we assume you work 250 days per years and spent 4 hours per day on deliberate practice it will take 10 years to make you an expert. 4 hours each day of extensive, value added practice is a lot of dedication and focus and it is not enough. The amount of practice necessary for exceptional performance is so extensive that people who end up on top need help of others, special conditions, supportive environment.
Mozart father was an accomplished musician and a famous teacher. Father of our Polish tennis superstar - Iga Swiatek - is a former rower who competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. There are not many examples of spectacular careers without silent heroes in the background who helped those careers to flourish.
Hard work is not enough
10 000 hours do not mean that you can achieve whatever you want if you work hard enough. This is one of the major misconceptions of this idea.
No one succeeds at a high level without innate talent, however in cognitively demanding fields, there are no naturals.
Your innate capabilities are important but they are not enough. 10 000 hours are also not enough if your general intelligence is insufficient, body is not built for specific sport activity and so on. High level of expertise requires a combination of many factors, out of which we control, at least to some extent, our efforts and the field we choose.
How does it relate to resilience?
The most successful people tend to commit entirely to the field of their choice. Often times they do not have Plan B. If you are serious about building high level of expertise you will find it hard to create viable alternatives. Such dedication is necessary but can also lead to spectacular failures. We look up to the winners, but the winner takes it all and there are many more people around who have not achieved what they dreamed of.
One recipe for a dissatisfied adulthood is setting goals that are especially difficult to attain. Daniel Kahneman
Resilient people, however, tend to focus more on the process than on the outcome. They find improvement and small wins on the way as the most fulfilling activities and take ultimate success as desired but not the only measure of achievement. Many successful people emphasize this relentless dedication to the process, taking one small step at a time.
There's More Than One Path to Success
There is also another resilient group out there. Silent, large part of society, which lives a good live with plan B, C and D. The deliberate choice of not pursuing your big dreams but opting for a more balanced approach, is a valid and resilient choice. It does not sound so exciting as the lives of superstars of our times but minimalistic approach to business and life is very resilient. Having more answers to failures - whether it is another area of expertise, healthy financial situation, supportive friends and family - gives more flexibility and capacity to manage undesired change.
Key Questions for Your Development Journey
How much time do you dedicate to deliberate practice?
Do you have a coach or mentor who helps refine your skills and guide your efforts?
How often do you seek feedback to target areas that need improvement?
Recommended Resources:
Commenti