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I had the pleasure of seeing Malcolm Gladwell speak at a Leadership conference in DC a few years ago. As you can imagine, he was an amazing speaker. I think the basic tenet that can be reached from all of is books is to just not accept the status quo. Look at things with a different perspective – you may be surprised at what you find.

I’ve never read a Gladwell book, but I would so love for this one to be my first. I would love even more to read it for free!

I’ve watched his TED talk on finding the perfect spaghetti recipe and read an article about this book. I’m interested to experience his sound, scientific style to writing, and I think a compilation of his previous work is the perfect way in.

Also, this book has a great title. Can I haz it?

The one piece of information from Outliers that I share all the time is the “10,000-Hour Rule”: That it takes about 10,000 hours of experience in any field to become an expert. I think it’s absolutely true!

Thanks for tossing my name in the hat for a copy of the new book.

Although I am not familiar with the author (first time hearing his name), I am always looking to broaden my horizons and grow in knowledge.

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by TheBrokenHeel: Win a copy of “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell http://bit.ly/3fJQU0...

I haven’t read Malcolm Gladwell’s books yet, but this one appeals to me. Also there is no bad place to start reading one’s works.

Thank you for the entry.

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the class dimensions of learning to get what you want, using the example of J. Robert Oppenheimer (who was able to talk his way out of attempting to poison his tutor) as an instance of a kind of social intelligence that’s necessary if intellectual intelligence is to result in success. That social intelligence comes in part from class privilege, which teaches you that the world is there to serve you and also teaches you how to talk to people to get what you want. Remember Cher in Clueless, who was so proud to have argued her C grade up to an A? I don’t condone that kind of grade-grubbing, of course, but the attitude she showed about shaping the world was exactly what Gladwell was talking about.

I got 2 majors Malcolm Gladwell take away’s from Outliers.

1. The 10000 Hour Rule. I’ve always thought I have a fast learning curve and always think I’m already an expert in certain skills until I read the rule. Now I know that I can always keep applying myself in my area of ‘expertise’ to be able to further grow.

2. Setting my ‘future’ kids up for success. I know that no matter what.. if I have a boy or a girl that I will do my best to set them up for success. If I plan on having a boy, they are being born from Jan – March just in case they want to be a hockey player. Just kidding. I will provide the right opportunities, the right training, the right education and whatever they might need so that I don’t inconvenience them on their road to success. My success in life will be to see a child succeed in any one of their dreams.

My first Gladwell experience was Blink on CD. When I first started listening, I replayed the tracks a number of times. I wanted to make sure I heard what I thought I was hearing. He defined something undefinable. I learned that my impressions and instincts were valid, moreso than I previously thought.