Bounce: The of Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice

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Dyson working his way through 5,126 failed prototypes, learning new things about separation efficiency and air flow dynamics with each one. Syed describes many psychological experiments designed to understand what motivates people to excel. But there is one result worth mentioning, even though it is not new; it is better to praise a child's effort than his intelligence or skill. Fans of Predictably Irrational and Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point will find many interesting and helpful insights in Bounce. Not because the book demands or merits superabundance of personal thought, but because it touched on a few topics which I spend a great deal of thought on anyways.

He is also a multi-award-winning journalist for The Times and a regular contributor to television and radio. Mozart did not create original works of art until he was twenty-one, and had thousands of hours under his belt in playing and composing music. More, the author being an athlete and, most of his examples being taken from the world of sport, 'Bounce' ends with a very relevant questioning of how, now, we might be able to improve on performances using genetic engineering and/or doping. Simple as and, yet, it still is baffling to see how many still believe in 'talent' or 'genius' that is, inner and innate capabilities that one either has or doesn't! Whereas there are countless examples of people being surprisingly good at something, only for it to turn out not to be so surprising after all, when you discover that they’ve been working at it for years.

To put it another way, eureka moments are not lightning bolts from the blue, but tidal waves that erupt following deep immersion in an area of expertise”. The small few vying for glory, the stars we cheer on Centre Court, represent the shattered dreams of thousands.

The fixed mindset is damaging because evidence shows that people often associate challenges and difficulties as meaning they lack talent.Every second of every minute of every hour, the goal [of purposeful practice] is to extend one’s mind and body, to push oneself beyond the outer limits of one’s capacities, to engage so deeply in the task that one leaves the training session, literally, a changed person”.

In this book Mathew Syed tried to explain the practice theory of excellence with some great examples. Lowering standards can help to boost the self-esteem of a student, but can simply lead to poorly-educated students who feel entitled to "easy work and lavish praise". Fresh, ground-breaking and tackling subjects with broad appeal, Bounce is sure to be one of the most talked about books of the year. In his latest book, You Are Awesome, Matthew distils the principles of growth mindset, resilience and adaptability in his other books for a younger audience. This is covered in Bounce and in Black Box Thinking, and we have now run dozens of conferences with teachers and coaches on precisely this terrain.Worth a read if you have not gone through other books on skill improvement or just for the chapters on the aforementioned themes. He narrated some stories about a few superstitious athletes, it sounds funny but it is true that it actually boost their confidence to increase their level of performance. For instance one chapter examines the myth of 'race' versus the scientific proof of the non-existance of race. The thing that often separates the best from the rest is a capacity to believe things that are not true but which are incredibly effective”. Full details of your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations are available in the UK from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or your Local Authority's Trading Standards Office.

Essential reading for an astounding summer of sport; If you’ve ever wondered what makes a champion, Bounce has the answer. The only difference is that the author makes a foray into the topic of sports more than his predecessors but I found it to be interesting but impractical.Matthew Syed Consulting’s cutting-edge thought leadership programme and digital learning tools are becoming a catalyst for real and lasting change within business and the public sector. Kenyan and Ethiopian runners come almost exclusively from 2 small areas that are insanely high altitude and where the kids have to run to school every day. I recommend Colvin and Coyle's books, and only if you're interested in the sports angle of deliberate practice, read this.