Malcolm Gladwell: Success is result of community cultivation
Malcolm Gladwell, two-time number one national bestselling author of The Tipping Point and Blink, discusses his book Outliers and more at a Penn alumni event at the Hudson Union Society. Malcolm makes the case that Americans celebrate top tier talent and achievement as a result of individual effort, when, in fact, some kids are afforded privileges that provide advantaged opportunities while others struggle against near-insurmountable odds. Malcolm offers insight into how American society is strongly tilted in favor of the wealthy while the poor face incredible adversities that are set in place by the wealthy. See video below Malcolm Gladwell quotes.
“I think we’re far too impatient in the development of talent.”
“We like to judge people. We like to categorize them and put them in different groups and decide who we’re going to back and who we’re going to give up on.”
“If you want to know if someone is any good, you have to give them a chance to practice for 10 years first (10,000 hour Rule).”
“Those who get to be good are usually those who have had some special opportunity to practice.”
“If you want to be a great piano player, you can’t have a part-time job after school. You can’t come from a family that requires you to work. There are not enough hours in a day to get your 10,000 hours in before the age of 22 or 23 if you have a part-time job.”
“You will never get, except in the most extraordinary of circumstances, a great pianist, a great chess player or a great anything of this type from a family that’s not wealthy enough to support children without having them go out to work.”
“Class matters.”
“Our idealized notion of how talent always rises to the top in our society is nonsense!”
“There’s a massive constraint on it, which is the fact that you need 10,000 hours and only a small number of people are in a position to get that in.”
Malcolm Gladwell (May 2012)
Author Malcolm Gladwell suggests that in 50 years’ time people will remember the great societal contributions of Bill Gates far better than those of Steve Jobs, whom he describes as “shameless.”
Brilliant speaker, he touches on several areas which have a tremendous impact on why so many businesses fail in the first 2-5 years. Where you are raised and by whom influences outcomes. The villiage effect rings true, our foundations built in the communities we grow up in matter. What we do with this knowledge will have a significant impact on the next generation of Americans.