I’m in IT and this is so fucking true. It’s the Usual Suspects, a small group of people who frequent the message boards, go in study groups for the newest technologies, the same people who go to meetups and technology sharing. This is why although I think highly my skills when compared to most people in my field, I am humbled whenever I am with people of this small group; Compared to them I’m such a n00b.
Deliberate Practice for the Rest of Us
Colvin, being a business reporter, points out that this sophisticated understanding of performance is lacking in the workplace.
“At most companies,” he argues, “the fundamentals of fostering great performance are mainly unrecognized or ignored.”
He then adds the obvious corollary: “Of course that means the opportunities for achieving advantage by adopting the principles of great performance are huge.”
It’s this advantage that intrigues me. To become a grandmaster requires 5000 hours of DP. But to become a highly sought-after CRM database whiz, or to run a money-making blog, or to grow a campus organization into national recognition, would probably require much, much less.
Why? Because when it comes to DP in these latter field, your competition is sorely lacking.
Unless you’re a professional athlete or musician, your peers are likely spending zero hours on DP. Instead, they’re putting in their time, trying to accomplish the tasks handed to them in a competent and efficient fashion. Perhaps if they’re ambitious, they’ll try to come in earlier and leave later in a bid to outwork their peers.
via Study Hacks » Blog Archive » The Grandmaster in the Corner Office: What the Study of Chess Experts Teaches Us about Building a Remarkable Life.