I finally finished the book "Talent is Overrated" by Fortune Editor-at-Large Geoff Colvin, which explores the question of whether pure talent or hard, focused work is the key to becoming a world class performer in any discipline.  As you might expect, the book concludes that you can't become world class at anything without putting in tons of hours on your craft and making sure those hours are focused in a certain way.  I read it.  I'm a believer.

The following is one of five quick primers I'll do on the book focused on the following concepts: 1) what Deliberate Practice is, 2) applying the concepts of Deliberate Practice to the workplace and your organization, 3) why creativity/innovation is a myth, and 4) where passion comes from and the "multiplier effect".

Primer #2 - Using Deliberate Practice at Work and Within Organizations:

I'm a big fan of this book, and I'll be posting primers #3-#5 in the weeks to come.  But for now, we're reviewing how Colvin approached the concept of using deliberate practice at work and within your organization.

Here's the short version - Colvin didn't have any new ideas.

That's OK - allowing employees to chase what they are good at via deliberate practice doesn't sound like something companies would be good at, does it?  After all, companies exist to chase their lines of business and make a profit.  Sure, we develop people, but not to the end called for via deliberate practice.  Read the post regarding what deliberate practice is again - no wonder companies don't do it - it takes too much time, and companies generally need employees to be competent at many things, rather than great at one thing.

That's why world class talent tends to migrate to "independent contractor" status.

For the record, here's what Colvin listed as ways organizations can apply the principles of great performance:

1. Understand that each person is not just doing a job, but is also being stretched and grown.

2. Find ways to develop leaders within their jobs.

3. Encourage leaders to become active in their communities.

4. Understand the critical roles of teachers and feedback.

5. Identify promising performers early.

6. Invest significant time, money and resources in developing people.

All good ideas are necessary, but not groundbreaking at a macro level, especially when looking for application of how the concept of deliberate practice can be applied to work and organizations.

Remember - the concept of deliberate practice is the concept of 10,000 hours of practice to become world class at one thing.  The ideas shared by Colvin are too generalized to have real application related to deliberate practice and organizations.

That's why the great ones generally do it on their own.  The organization (wo)man wasn't built to be great at one or two things.  He/she was built to be merely good at many things...