Before the age of 50, CEO’s of General Electric and Microsoft started their carriers with little ambition and were voted least likely to succeed. If not brains, talent, or hard work then what carried them to the top of the corporate ladder? In the fi rst three chapters Colvin debunks the mystery of great performance.

In debunking the mystery it is important to think about why great performance is critical in today’s society. One explanation is the trend of rapidly rising standards. Whether it is reducing your police response rate,  ecoming more transparent, or doing more with less, constituents and organizations are faced with the  ever ending demand to improve performance.

One example discussed by Colvin is the whirlpool washer. The new models have more functions, use
less water, require less electricity and cost far less than it did fi ve years ago. Can you think of other examples in your organization where you are called upon to improve your standards?

The pressure to perform better is extending beyond organizations to us as individuals as well. Colvin explains that the rapidly rising standards trend holds true for virtually every fi eld of human performance.  People are being forced to perform better and to train themselves more eff ectively.

We are called upon to sharpen and develop our own ability to remain competitive in the global market.
The scarce resource in today’s society is human ability. Bill Gates states, “If you took the twenty smartest people out of Microsoft it would be an insignifi cant company, and if you ask around the company what its core competency is, they don’t say anything about software. They say it’s hiring.”

Great Performance is in our hands far more than most of us ever suspected. Where you born with the natural gift of being a budget director, librarian, or a public information officer? Most of us accept the fact that we do not possess the rare talent to win 14 major golf championships.

However, we should not allow this to limit our ability to reach greatness. In Talent is Overrated, Colvin  confronts the unexpected facts about innate abilities.

What is talent? Most in society defi ne talent as the natural ability to do something better than most people. This defi nition is often expanded to believe people are born with talent and if you’re not born with it, you can’t acquire it. This definition of talent is now challenged. There are few signs of precocious achievement before individuals start intensive training. Scientist haven’t been able to identify the city manager gene, the piano gene, the golf gene, or other specifi c talent genes.

Majority of researchers suggest that genetic diff erences that determine the highest levels of performance don’t exist.

How smart do you have to be? Beyond the gifted, we assume outstanding performers possess astonishingly high IQ’s and memories. However, research shows we don’t need to be superhuman
to be a great performer. Colvin explains that the connection between general intelligence and specific abilities is weak and in some cases nonexistent.

Possessing a high IQ is not a prerequisite to extraordinary achievement. Beyond looking at intelligence and memory it is important to look at what successful organizations look for in employees. Refl ect upon how your organization recruits and hires employees.

Do you seek those with a sense of humor, sense of mission, energy, and confi dence or is cognitive
ability at the top of your list? Southwest Airlines,the only airline in America to make a profi t every
year for the past thirty-six years is famous for seeking a blend of attitudes.

Colvin explains that we are not stuck with our personality traits.. Do you know people in your
organization who are constrained by a particular personality trait? Researchers explain that people
have the ability to change their behavior to override some part of their personalities.

If great performance is not experience, a specific inborn ability, or intelligence then what drives us
to become high performers? Stay tuned in October as we delve into the concept of deliberate practice and learn how to apply the principles in our lives. In his brief explanation in chapter one, Colvin explains that deliberate practice “Is Hard. It Hurts. But it Works. More of it equals better performance. Tons of it equals great performance.”

During September I challenge you to not be constrained in becoming great by a personality trait, a lower IQ, or less experience. Let’s continue on the path to reach “greatness” within ourselves, our organizations, and communities.