| Malcolm Gladwell is the bestselling author of The | | | | between 1960 and 1962; and Bill Gates who put in |
| Tipping Point and Blink. His latest book, Outliers, | | | | thousands of hours of computer programming |
| has been on the best seller list of The New York | | | | starting at the age of thirteen. In addition to being |
| Times for eight straight months, since it was | | | | smart, these people achieved success by putting |
| published in November 2008. Gladwell's engaging | | | | in 10,000 hours of practice before becoming |
| and journalistic writing style and his talent for | | | | outstanding at what they did. |
| simplifying complex issues, I believe, are his | | | | Two other "secrets" are discussed at length in |
| secrets of success. And these are the reasons | | | | Outliers: culture and education. Gladwell compares |
| why his books are both controversial and popular. | | | | the safety record of airliners in the 1990s, and |
| His latest book is no exception. | | | | notes that the Colombian captains (Avianca) and |
| Outliers attempts to explain the secrets of | | | | Korean captains (Korean Air) in certain cases |
| successful people; it proposes that intelligence (IQ) | | | | could have averted plane crashes if their cultures |
| alone is not a guarantee of success in life. | | | | permitted subordinates (copilots and flight |
| However, this view is an already well-known fact | | | | engineers) to speak out and warn the captains of |
| that has been established during the early 1990s | | | | impending disasters. These two cultures place a |
| by a host of academic studies which discovered | | | | high value on power distance, meaning that |
| that success indeed requires additional | | | | subordinates defer to their superiors even when |
| competencies, known as emotional intelligence (EI). | | | | these superiors may in fact be in the wrong. In |
| Unfortunately, Gladwell does not expound on, or | | | | brief, subordinates were reluctant to speak out |
| even refer to, the growing body of literature on | | | | because of fear and/or respect; a very |
| EI. | | | | dangerous cultural "dimension" when one is flying a |
| Instead, Gladwell focuses on several other | | | | passenger plane! In effect, Gladwell argues that it |
| significant and equally important ingredients of | | | | does matter where you were born and what |
| success. In fact, his book naturally complements | | | | culture you were raised in. |
| the EI studies and explains the "secrets" of | | | | Citing culture again, Gladwell attributes the high |
| success from a different perspective: by taking | | | | scores on mathematics tests in countries such as |
| into account the personal, environmental, and | | | | China, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan to the |
| cultural contexts of success. | | | | strong work ethics and the demanding nature in |
| In this book review, I will highlight the main | | | | those countries of the all important wet-rice |
| secrets of success covered by Outliers starting | | | | agriculture. Here again, Gladwell fails to mention |
| with the advantage (or luck) of being born at the | | | | that rice is also grown in other countries, such as |
| right time of the year. One example Gladwell | | | | Philippines and Indonesia, whose populations are |
| highlights is that of Canadian hockey players and | | | | not necessarily known for high scores on math |
| Czech soccer and hockey players who are born | | | | tests. Gladwell also does not mention the |
| during the first six months of a year and have a | | | | Protestant ethics of hard work which may have |
| distinct advantage of age and maturity over their | | | | contributed to the rise of capitalism and the |
| teammates. This is due to the eligibility cutoff age | | | | industrial revolution, or the fact that growing |
| of January 1 in those countries. As Gladwell | | | | tobacco used to be as demanding as working in |
| explains, "A boy who turns ten on January 2, | | | | the rice paddies. |
| then, could be playing alongside someone who | | | | Finally, Gladwell links the quality of education to |
| doesn't turn ten until the end of the year - and at | | | | success. He cites the longer days and hours of |
| that age, in preadolescence, a twelve-month gap | | | | high schools in Japan and South Korea, "the school |
| in age represents an enormous difference in | | | | year in the United States is, on average, 180 |
| physical maturity". | | | | days long. The South Korean school year is 220 |
| What about the year of birth? That, too, explains | | | | days long. The Japanese school year is 243 days |
| the implications of being there at the right time, at | | | | long". Finally, Gladwell mentions the vast |
| the right age. Gladwell cites the Silicon Valley | | | | advantages and opportunities provided by KIPP |
| tycoons who were born between 1953 and 1956 | | | | Academy middle schools which were started in |
| and were thus at the perfect age in 1975 to take | | | | the South Bronx, one of the poorest |
| advantage of the personal computer revolution. | | | | neighborhoods in New York City. Students at KIPP |
| Here are the names and years of birth of some | | | | excel at mathematics and reading, and a large |
| of these successful men: Paul Allen (1953), Bill Joy | | | | percentage of them go on to university and "in |
| (1954), Scott McNealy (1954), Steve Jobs (1955), | | | | many cases being the first in their family to do |
| Eric Schmidt (1955), Bill Gates (1955), and Steve | | | | so". KIPP school days start at seven twenty-five |
| Ballmer (1956). Gladwell later argues that New | | | | and goes on until five p.m. All students take |
| York lawyers born in the early 1930s also had a | | | | classes in thinking skills, English, science, |
| tremendous advantage when the boom in the | | | | mathematics, social science, music and orchestra. |
| number and size of corporate mergers, hostile | | | | KIPP gives its students a chance to work very |
| takeovers, and litigation took place during the | | | | hard and to excel. |
| 1970s, mainly due to the relaxation of Federal | | | | Although it is written with a journalistic, rather |
| regulations. | | | | than academic approach, Outliers has undoubtedly |
| Gladwell proposes that it is the "10,000-hour rule" | | | | contributed to the ongoing thinking about success |
| of hard work and practice which explains why | | | | in the corporate world. It highlights the importance |
| many people achieved success. He provides | | | | of hard work, determination, opportunity and luck, |
| examples of Bill Joy's contributions to UNIX, Java, | | | | family upbringing, personal circumstances, and |
| and the Internet; Mozart's masterwork was | | | | culture. |
| composed when he was twenty-one, although he | | | | Despite its shortcomings, mainly its lack of |
| started writing music at the age of six; the | | | | academic rigor, Outliers is a highly recommended |
| Beatles and their Hamburg experience of playing | | | | book for those who want to explore the |
| music eight hours a day, seven days a week | | | | "secrets" of success, beyond IQ and EI. |