Just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers.
I have to say I was underwhelmed. Basically the message of Outliers is that 'life is not fair' - that luck, access to money and social privileges, timing, heritage, geography, the random actions of others, social networks, circumstances of the times and (yes) hard work all cumulatively play a factor in success (or lack thereof) and how slight (often unassuming) events can make the difference between failure and fame / riches.
I was only underwhelmed in the sense that any university grad who has studied psychology or history is well aware of all this. In addition, many philosophic works delve in to the issue of fate, providence and fortune (not riches per se, but fortune as in one's lot in life) with far greater depth and insight than Outliers does.
For this blog I always have an eye on PR. I think the relevance that Outliers has to the world of PR is that it reminds us of reality.
Most PR people work for highly successful individuals (CEOs, celebrities, politicians, etc.). And there is a tendency to believe that they are successful through nothing more than their own doing - and as such must always be right.
What Outliers reminds us is that even those who have achieved great successes, have not done so simply because they were always right. So many variables play a role in how they became successful. Their intelligence, hard work and perseverance might comprise for about 20 percent of the outcome. Gladwell doesn't put a percentage on the causal variables, but I'm taking a wild guess.
The biggest factor seems to actually something totally random - the people you encounter in life and the synergies with such people. Which doesn't surprise me as it's the cumulative efforts of dozens, hundreds or thousands of individuals that I've always felt are behind tremendous successes - rarely the efforts a single solitary person.
As such, it's important for PR folks to remind themselves that the people they work for are not demigods - that they are fallible just like everyone else and they don't always know what is right. It's important to keep this in mind because you can't help an organization if you simply acquiesce to the boss' view all the time. You have to have your own opinion, your own analytic conclusions and your own reasoned strategies - this actually helps an organization and your boss - it is the reason they hired you after all!
You have to believe that your efforts can impact outcomes in ways you can't even imagine - because they can and do!
Outliers strips away some of the Atlas-mythology that surrounds success in our modern times and for that it's a good read. It reminds us that catching 'lighting in a bottle' is rare for tangible reasons.
I was only underwhelmed in the sense that any university grad who has studied psychology or history is well aware of all this. In addition, many philosophic works delve in to the issue of fate, providence and fortune (not riches per se, but fortune as in one's lot in life) with far greater depth and insight than Outliers does.
For this blog I always have an eye on PR. I think the relevance that Outliers has to the world of PR is that it reminds us of reality.
Most PR people work for highly successful individuals (CEOs, celebrities, politicians, etc.). And there is a tendency to believe that they are successful through nothing more than their own doing - and as such must always be right.
What Outliers reminds us is that even those who have achieved great successes, have not done so simply because they were always right. So many variables play a role in how they became successful. Their intelligence, hard work and perseverance might comprise for about 20 percent of the outcome. Gladwell doesn't put a percentage on the causal variables, but I'm taking a wild guess.
The biggest factor seems to actually something totally random - the people you encounter in life and the synergies with such people. Which doesn't surprise me as it's the cumulative efforts of dozens, hundreds or thousands of individuals that I've always felt are behind tremendous successes - rarely the efforts a single solitary person.
As such, it's important for PR folks to remind themselves that the people they work for are not demigods - that they are fallible just like everyone else and they don't always know what is right. It's important to keep this in mind because you can't help an organization if you simply acquiesce to the boss' view all the time. You have to have your own opinion, your own analytic conclusions and your own reasoned strategies - this actually helps an organization and your boss - it is the reason they hired you after all!
You have to believe that your efforts can impact outcomes in ways you can't even imagine - because they can and do!
Outliers strips away some of the Atlas-mythology that surrounds success in our modern times and for that it's a good read. It reminds us that catching 'lighting in a bottle' is rare for tangible reasons.
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