I recently had the opportunity to read Geoff Colvin's, Talent is Overrated. With
an attempt to better understand what contributes to excellent performance, Colvin asks the
reader to reconsider their assumptions. According to him, excellent performance
is more than what most people assume is a product of innate ability. Several of the contributing factors Colvin cites are hard work, deliberate practice, goal setting, and the ability to develop intricate mental models of the domain in which one wishes to excel in.
Within an organizational setting, Colvin points out that it is important for both the employee and the supervisor to believe that sucess is attainable. Without this belief, the supervisor may be reluctant to provide the kind of support an employee needs to be successful because they automatically assume failure. Management can choose to improve the odds of success by providing those that they supervise with the optimum learning opportunities that they need to improve their skillset.
I would recommend this book because it challenges the reader to rethink their assumptions about exceptional performance.