Business Book Reviews: Talent is Overrated & Moonwalking with Einstein

http://amzn.to/o8nAVR - Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin

http://amzn.to/qbVXOb - Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer


Finished two good biz books recently that I wanted to share. Just by chance I happened to read and listen to them back to back, and it was interesting because even though they were on different topics, they referenced some of the same research and mined the same fields.

First one is Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin. The answer is hard work. The books states it's not God given talent, but rather thousands of hours of deliberate practice that gets you there. It touches upon some of the same ideas that Malcom Gladwell's Outliers goes over.

Along the way it also pokes holes in the "god given talent" stories of such child prodigies as Mozart and Tiger Woods, showing how they had to put in the same hard work that everyone else does who wants to be a world class performer.

Although at times the book seems to overstate it's case, it's an interesting read...or listen.

Just as I was wrapping up that book I stumbled upon Moonwalking with Einstein The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Josh Foer. It's the true story of a journalist who stumbles upon the US Memory Championship. He's fascinated by these people who can remember the order of every card in a random deck of cards in just a few minutes, or hundreds of random numbers. A year later he wins the US Memory championship himself.

The writing is funny throughout, and although it's not really a how-to on memory tricks, there's plenty of good tips throughout. It made me want to dig deeper.

In addition, as he starts training for the US memory championship he starts learning more about deliberate practice, and again the idea that almost anyone can become a world-class performer if they're willing to put in the hours AND if they use deliberate practice to get there.

I strongly recommend either of these two books for business owners, and Moonwalking is just a pleasurable read.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• book review
• Talent is Overrated
• Moonwalking with Einstein
• business book
• memory
• Geoff Colvin
• Joshua Foer