Good to Great v. Range

I love to read books that help me think different and strive to be the best me I can be. Two such books that I have read are Good to Great (G2G) by Jim Collins and Range by David Epstein.

Both are phenomenal books. Both made me think differently and behave differently.

Today I listed to an Audible version of the talking points from G2G. It is short and sweet and is a good refresher on the very big picture ideas discussed within the book. I would recommend the refresher without have first read the entire book.

G2G refers to eight key "takeways". They are summarized below.

1.      Great leaders combine tremendous personal humility with unwavering professional resolve.

2.      Hiring the RIGHT people for the company is the first key step to greatness.

3.      Confront brutal facts and difficult realities.

4.      A company must be best at its core competency to be great.

5.      A culture of discipline is required.

6.      Technology does not make a company great nor does it make it fail.

7.      Transformation from good to great is a long process.

8.      These concepts are timeless.

The summaries are fine. However, when I listed to #4, I heard something that gave me pause and conflicted with core concept of Epstein's book Range.

The audio summary explains the some companies lack focus and sometimes that focus is led by what they are known for instead of what they can be best or are best at.

"Notably companies that failed to make the transformation from good to great tend to have their hands in too many enterprises or projects. They lack consistency and they are unable to focus on a single overarching competency. This may seem like an obvious mistake, but it one that occurs frequently in other life's contexts."

Ok, this next part is where the conflict begins.

"For example, children commonly pursue a wide range of extra-curricular activities - soccer, dance, music, theater and so forth. But anyone who wants to become serious and achieve excellence, has to focus consistently on one thing. Sometimes it may seem prudent to diversify or explore other options. This however is not the path to greatness."

This is where I insert the sound of effect of screeching tires, a loud impact and then the sound of wheel covers spinning on the pavement.

David Epstein pulls up in his "Range" ambulance to clean up the mess created by the train wreck summary statement above.

Epstein's book, which I am guess less people have read then G2G, is absolutely fascinating. He uses research and great real-life stories to debunk the notion of children having to focus on one think.

"Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world's top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, show that early specialization is the EXCEPTION, not the rule."

For example, many of us know the story of Tiger Woods. He was very, very young when he had golf clubs in his hands. He focused intensely, with the strong support of his father, on becoming the best golfer in the world.

And it worked!

However, according to Epstein's research, Tiger is the exception.

He then tells the story of Roger Federer. His path to becoming the best tennis player in the world was quite different from Tiger's. He had many interests, was not keen on focus and didn't really get serious about tennis until he was older.

Roger's pathway to tremendous success was the rule of the research.

I have several reasons for pointing out this conflict between books.

First, I am hoping that if you haven't already, that you read BOTH books. They are both powerful. Next, I am hoping it provides some time of thought-provocation within your mind that challenges your assumptions and related actions for you and those you are able to influence. Finally, since I work in the field of education, it is my hope that we can use these ideas from both books to help us better prepare students for the world in which they will need to thrive, survive and make their own.

Let me know if you have read both and what your thoughts are. I'd really like to know!