Geoff Colvin from Fortune Magazine is one of my very favorite business writers. His pieces are always on interesting subjects and filled with intriguing insights. He has a particular interest in understanding what makes business leaders successful--or not. His new book--Talent is Overrated--blends hard and soft research to offer up a unique theory about why some managers make it big while others falter.
Colvin argues that the key differentiator is not brains or any other natural ability. Nor is it simply hard work. Rather, what pushes some to the head of the class is a rare ability--or rather intense commitment--to methodically improving personal performance through what Colvin refers to as "deliberate practice." This process, which mirrors the path to the top in sports and music, involves working diligently and intensely on your personal weaknesses, setting a high standard of personal excellence and, just as the term implies, practicing until you get it right. It's a function of discipline, focus and persistence.
There are other keys, according to Colvin. Great leaders usually enlist the help of coaches, mentors or others to provide feedback along the way. It's hard to go it alone. (Even Tiger Woods uses a coach, he notes.)
If you haven't followed Colvin's stuff in Fortune, Google some of his columns and articles. And if you're serious about running with the elite CEO's, try deliberate practice.
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