Malcolm Gladwell begins chapter one of Outliers with a quote from Matthew 25:29- "For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." Gladwell studies success in the youth hockey programs of Canada which feed many stars into the college and professional hockey teams all over the world. He also looks at what produces the great soccer stars in the Czechoslovakian junior programs. What he learns can be applied to many of the sports programs that exist in the United States and produce stars in football, basketball, and other sports.
What Gladwell finds is that talent, passion, and hard work are important, but they are not the whole story. Too often, the mystique of the rugged individual who is a self-made millionaire, super star athlete, or successful in some other area of life is not fully justified. When we get caught up in the idea that successful people must have earned their special place, we miss some of the important elements that lead to success.
In the case of many sports programs, the intangible that gets missed is very simple, a person’s birthday. If a boy in Canada wants to be a superstar some day, there is a much better chance this will happen if he was born in the first three months of the year. The absolute best day is January 1. It all has to do with ages for leagues, body size, and being picked for better teams with stronger programs. If you are a Canadian boy and were born in November or December, you are much less likely to become a star. It is just a matter of timing, sheer body volume…you were born in the wrong month. In effect, if one Canadian boy is born on January 1 and another on December 30, the first boy has a much greater chance of becoming a hockey star. Why, because he is about a year older that the boy born in December but they are in the same league. Who will excel? Who will be bigger? Who will the coach notice? Who will get more playing time and become better? All of this is due to the date of birth, not skill or hard work.
This chapter uncovers the need for humility for those who succeed. Yes, part of what got them onto the all star team was hard work and ability, but another big part of the equation was something they had no control over…the day they were born. For all those who find themselves in a place of relative success, a healthy dose of humility ought to accompany an honest awareness that part of what got them where they are is timing…being in the right place at the right time. This becomes even clearer as Gladwell looks at the role of timing in the success of people like Bill Gates, Bill Joy, the Beatles, and John D. Rockefeller. Check it out…this chapter is fascinating!
Kevin G. Harney
Since there are so many factors that determine success, how do you think someone then goes about overcoming a birthdate, a birth place, family history, being somewhere at the right time, etc.?
I thought the chapter was a little discouraging out of context but as you read on, his theory becomes more unpacked.
Posted by: kevin | May 07, 2009 at 11:15 AM
I thought this point was so fascinating - as a player myself who went through the hockey system growing up and as a coach now, this hit me over the head like a ton of bricks. I also think you are right about the humility bit - being successful has so much to do with timing and circumstances, that giving thanks every once in a while wouldn't be a bad thing.
Posted by: steve cunningham | May 09, 2009 at 04:16 PM
Hey Kevin! I enjoyed Outliers. You guys may enjoy Ray Allen from the Celtics take on it. Go to http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=outliers-090318. Hope you are doing well!
Posted by: Eric Bryant | May 12, 2009 at 01:30 PM