Outliers: The Story of Success

By Malcolm Gladwell

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This book has 13 recommendations

James Altucher (Founder/StockPickr)

Gladwell is not the first person to come up with the 10,000 hour rule. Nor is he the first person to document what it takes to become the best in the world at something.

But his stories are so great as he explains these deep concepts.

How did the Beatles become the best? Why are professional hockey players born in January, February and March?

And so on.

Deepak Chhugani (Founder/The Lobby)

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell reinforced a very important concept for me which is that there is no such thing as an overnight success. Every person who became successful “overnight” had countless hours of deliberate & hard work before they reached a point of visible success. This book is mostly a reminder that if I want to achieve my goals, I should focus on putting my head down and trying to get a little bit better every day, instead of trying to find shortcuts.

Bogdana Butnar (Head of Strategy/Poke)

I thought I might put my money where my mouth is. I keep whining that young people are not in touch with some essential books on advertising that have helped me shape the way I practise my trade today, but I never did anything about it. So I am starting here the ultimate books to read list. I will add to it as I get suggestions and as more good books get written.

Ionut Danifeld (Co-Founder/DevMark.co)

One of my favorite books is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It's an interesting book that gives a recipe for success, with examples from inspiring people. We perceive these inspiring people that their fortune is due to luck, but we tend to forget: their culture, family, education and time spent for them to become successful.

Neal O'Gorman (Serial Entrepreneur)

Malcom Gladwell's Outliers was a real eye-opener early on in my entrepreneurial journey. The concept of ten thousand hours before becoming an expert in a field has stuck with me. He makes fair arguments that while to the outside world, certain people like Bill Gates are purely self-made but the reality was his unique environment and circumstances gave him very early access to computers, at such a young age that he was starting out with a distinct advantage over essentially everyone else. I do assess myself and others with regards to the time they've committed to something.

Irina Botnari (Managing Partner & Co-Founder/Bucur's Shelter Hostel)

As a marketing & strategy addict, I'll go beside all the books mentioned above with Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down by John P. Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead, The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber.

Fabrice Grinda (Serial Entrepreneur, Investor)

I have lots of books to recommend, but they are not related to my career path. The only one that is remotely related is Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. That said here are books I would recommend.

Xi-Wei Yeo (Director/Living Theories)

Firstly, start off by reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. Know the fears, the insane amount of work that you have to put in, and be prepared for the game that lies ahead, in whatever you choose to pursue.

Rand Fishkin (Founder/Moz)

I'm so lucky - so much luckier than I've ever considered - to be where I am. Thankfully, it appears I'm not alone - if Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers (worth reading, BTW) is right, everyone who gets to do these kinds of exciting things in their lives owes that opportunity to the people around them, and I'm no different.

Stephane Grand (Managing Partner/S.J. Grand Financial and Tax Advisory)

When a look back at my career path, it is the one of an entrepreneur. I have built various businesses, from accounting and financial advisory firms to tech and security businesses. I have also spent most of my adult life in China, a country that is quite hostile to foreigners and very unfair. I have accepted to suffer the hardships of building my business without any investment from anybody, and stick very firmly to my values. I would recommend young people to read about adventure, hardships, and moral choices. Of course, it would be important to also read about the drivers of our humanity, hence the motley list below:

[...]

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Bryan Choo (Founding Director/The Smart Local)

It changed my beliefs in certain areas, like how talent is overrated and how it takes roughly 10,000 hours to get good at something.

Cat Williams-Treloar (Founder/Humanisation)

The books that I've talked the most about with friends and colleagues over the years are the Malcolm Gladwell series of novels. Glorious stories that mix science, behaviours and insight. You can't go wrong with the "The Tipping Point", "Outliers", "Blink" or "David & Goliath".

Alex Circei (CEO & Founder/Waydev)

Question: What five books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path & why?

Answer:

Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life by Richard Branson
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action by Simon Sinek
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Amazon description

In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?

His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

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Outliers: The Story of Success

This book has 13 recommendations

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