Today on the Menu: Talent is Overrated, Which Means You Should Practice More

Today’s guest was author and Fortune Editor-at-large Geoff Colvin, whose book ‘Talent is Overrated‘ leans on 30 years of scientific evidence to show that our belief that talent is inherent is misplaced. According to Colvin (and aforementioned research) talent tends to be fleeting whereas true skill is honed over hours and hours of training. The best example of this is probably Tiger Woods.

Practically speaking this means we can all aspire to greatness, with enough training. How much? If you believe Malcolm Gladwell, 1,000 hours a year (or about 3 hours per day) for 10 years. Sounds daunting because it is &#151 and ultimately it means most of us will only be marginally proficient despite our aspirations for greatness. Moral of the story, says Colvin: practice.

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