Outlier's...what is behind great success...?

Very interesting new book from Malcolm Gladwell, the insightful author of Blink and Tipping Point, called Outliers. It dissects what the ingredients are behind great successes. There are successful people, then there are those who are off the charts. There are certain genetics involved which are infused with a hard work ethic, which are then touched with some blessed fortune. Without all three applied at the right time and in the right measure, the outlier isn't created.

All these great successes that Gladwell studies were all given an opportunity due to their birth date, economic status, skin color, religion, etc but they then applied their intelligence receptors and drove it home with diligence. Bill Gates was a 13 year old who got unlimited access to one of the worlds most powerful mainframes in 1968 because his schools PTA happened to focus on computers that year. For youth sports players those who are born in the months right after the cutoff matriculate to the top teams and go the farthest. Joe Flom and the power M&A attorneys at Wachtell,Lipton had a 20 year advantage to dominate that business because the tony white-shoe firms who wouldn't hire Jews also found M&A distasteful and dirty. Malcolm's mother was given the opportunity to win a scholarship due to her lighter skin color in Jamaica and the shared history of a Chinese shopkeeper who was willing to fund her education.

Many things have to align for outliers to be created. But the key is the self-awareness to know how blessed they are to have been exposed to the opportunity, and then to seize that opportunity with tenacity and then to maximize it with great passion and diligence.

In our business I have been fortunate to be part of the growth or association of a handful of outliers. I have also found a few key elements that when applied in the correct order and with the right force production success is guaranteed.

#1 SELF-AWARENESS. Like a good compass finding it's true north, a person with a lack of accurate self-awareness will always be off point and forever lost. If you know your strengths and weaknesses, you will compensate and leverage accordingly.

#2 You will have a particular knowledge and expertise that you hone constantly. You are smart enough to make it a core knowledge that is adaptable and empowering.

#3 Confidence. if you have the above two, you have a high level of confidence bordering on arrogance, in our business that allows you to effectively probe and get to the truth. With those correct and insightful questions the opportunity is opened up and then the leverage is timely and effectively applied to not only seal the current opportunity but also seal that client as a long time referral source and proselytizer for you.

#4 Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, life GOALS set and applied realistically after create a purposeful life free of clutter and inefficiencies.

#5 But SYSTEMS are what make goals come alive. Systems are the necessary disciplines that make goals realities. Systems executed consistently and constantly tweaked but never abandoned are at the heart of every success story out there. In today's world we hear the word system and think technology but in reality much of the success out there is anything but. Find it, test it, and run it. Be realistic but push yourself and you will be amazed. I still see so many people repeating the same year over and over and never evolving; don't be that person.

#6 FOLLOW UP. the great ones seize every opportunity and maximize it. They never let it die but know when to touch and when not to. But the opportunities are not forgotten because the system is a tight net. Basic time blocking and calendaring with notes and direction with automated systems interwoven can make a huge difference and will catapult you to the outlier status.

At MNI we had a recent panel interviewing an Outlier and some of our best producers. All of the above was readily apparent. But on the outside they all looked so different. Just like the values and ethics that run deep inside so do these qualities above. It's up to you to validate them and see how they fit in your skin.

During this massive opportunity presented to us, don't forget the long term opportunity. ANYBODY can make money today. Do not look at your numbers and paycheck and kid yourself. Look at the above and ask whether you are building a future or just gorging in the here and now.

If you ever want to talk about how you think these qualities apply to you, drop me a line!

Comments

[Tom Phinney]

Great Article! I am pleased to see that you have returned from your sojourn to the Dark Side last year.

Best regards,

That GR8 White Headhunter of Outliers,

[Linda Saunders]

Mortality always gives one a new prespective on life. Well said.