Outliers – The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Since this is my first post about a book, I want to bring out certain points.

I just wanted to inform that this post is NOT a

 Book review ( I ain’t any judge to give out my decision)

 Gyaan session ( We already have had loads of that)

 Summary of the book (lazy asses don’t look for a shortcut)

 Recommendation to read the book or not (simply because you won’t listen to me anyways)

This post and all subsequent posts about books that I have read, will give out some important information that the author brings out. You can be happy that this is not my information (which is always wrong).

Outliers as the name suggests, is a deviation from the normal. It does not mean that this book talks about abnormal beings (and I am not the protagonist). Outliers is a story of success, a story of how success is not just about being a genius, being at the right place at the right time, hard work, unusual opportunities and hidden advantages but a mix of all of them. And most importantly do not ignore the effect of “self-fulfilling prophecy” as it can be one of the biggest factors of success.

Information provided in the book …

 Secret for a long life?

A. Good genes, exercise, healthy diet 

Wrong Answer. The correct answer is Community. Long life depends on how strong your social structure is and how best it can protect you from the pressures of the real world. But is there any doctor in the world who even cares for that before treating you?

 Hidden Advantages

Pick up any autobiography of a famous actor, businessman, scientist, sports person … one thing common to all would be the limited resources that they had, basically a rags to riches story. Being reasonably well off; does that put me and you at a dis-advantage of becoming as great as them just because they had limited resources and we don't? The answer is NO. The limited resources were not at all limited … all these greats had hidden advantages, extra-ordinary opportunities and strong forces working in their favor. In fact, adversity was their biggest opportunity.

 The Age Effect

From fields as diverse as hockey and baseball to computer programming, it is the “age effect” that determines success. Being born in a particular period of the year to being born in a given era can be the difference between being successful and not so successful. So parents, please plan accordingly as the time your offspring is born would determine whether he becomes a Steve Jobs or any other xyz!!

 Magic number – 10,000

Some people are successful just because they are prodigies. Untrue. People are successful because of HARD WORK. Put in 10,000 hours of practice into something you are good at and you become successful. But hey, you still have to have hidden advantages and the age effect working in your favor!!

 Genius = Successful = Super Achievers
The above equation sounds reasonable. Unfortunately it is not accurate. Extra ordinary achievement is less about talent and more about opportunity. Intelligence has a threshold. Above a certain limit, having extra intelligence does not account for real world advantage. Also practical intelligence (being street smart) is more important than just intelligence.
So Genius, along with opportunity, hidden advantages, age effect and 10K is a lethal combination.

 Concerted Cultivation
Many of us have seen parents pushing their children to the absolute limit. Cricket Coaching followed by school followed by Karate classes followed by painting classes ... ufff ... i don't work that much myself. I personally even used to pity those kids and think that, "Why can't parents just leave the kids to themselves. Eventually the kid will find out what he/she is good at". Concerted cultivation and a sense of entitlement are key factors if you want your child to grow up and become successful. Parents, bully your kids ever more :)


 Work ... What kind of work?
Satisfaction does not come by just earning a six or seven digit salary. For work to be satisfying it should have autonomy, complexity and a relation between effort and reward.


 Legacy Matters
We might be staying in different areas of the world, in different cultures but the fact remains that we are a product of where we are from. Our ability to succeed at what we do is bound from where we are. As per Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, we need to understand that the problem is not with the process or the machine. It is our legacy which makes us behave in a certain way. Major cause of airline crashes can be understood from PDI rather than the technical flaws in the airplane!!


Finally success is not mysterious. It is hidden behind the web of advantages, opportunities, hard work, inheritance, history and community.