Becoming an expert at what you do
Some of you may be familiar with the 10,000-hour rule theory. Malcolm Gladwell published a book called Outliers: The Story of Success, which popularised a theory that to become truly great and successful (and by extension, an ‘expert’) at what you do, you need to have spent at least 10,000 practicing your skill, craft, or specialism. This theory is often used to try and explain what it takes to succeed in the context of being a virtuoso musician - the idea that to become a great pianist or violinist for example, one must have practiced on their instrument for at least 10,000 hours.
My understanding is that in recent times this theory has been discredited to a large degree, but I still think it has a degree of relevance, and more than a grain of truth. By this, I mean the reality of life is that success is not cheap, nor does it come easily. Taking this a step further, one might add that to become truly successful, one needs to put in the hard graft, regardless of one’s talent.
There are many stories of people who were extremely talented but didn’t achieve their true potential for a variety of reasons, including laziness, injury, lack of confidence, bad luck or timing, and many other unforeseen circumstances. On the other side of the coin, there are also many examples of people of far less talent succeeding by virtue of hard work, practice, resilience, and very importantly, being able to learn from mistakes (in my next article I will talk about failure and learning from this).
For me, the key message to take from this theory is not necessarily the semantics of how long one should practice and hone one’s craft, talent, or specialism, but rather the truth that success (however one defines that, and it will mean very different things to different people) does not come easily and that there are really no shortcuts to achieving one’s goals. In this world of increasing instant gratification, it strikes me that so many people seem to want a short cut to success and fame, whether it be in a talent show, a reality show or a multitude of other ‘quick fixes’.
To put the above thoughts into a more practical light, I can use myself as an example. I don’t lay claim to be a particularly talented and successful individual, and am certainly not exceptional, but I have worked very hard and applied myself consistently to reach the level of professionalism that people hopefully recognise me for. This started decades ago, as early as when I went to school and achieved good grades and continuing throughout my tertiary education. My education didn’t stop there - when I started training to become a chartered accountant, I had to undertake an intensive and thorough training programme, culminating after four years in having to pass some seriously demanding exams. Of course, this was just one element of becoming a professional accountant. The theory is just the beginning. In many ways, more importantly, I gained years of experience through the daily grind of practicing what I had learnt and applying these skills and knowledge by working with clients, colleagues, and other associates. Along the way there have been many successes, but also lots of mistakes, which hopefully I have learnt from.
Another point worth mentioning is that I don’t think one ever stops learning. You may become accomplished at one thing, but there is always more to learn, and one should never become complacent, or think that one has achieved everything there is to achieve in one’s field. In my view, curiosity, and the desire to learn more are the vital lifeblood of continuing development and excellence.
Finally, while this article refers to becoming an expert, I think the word expert is sometimes used too frequently. No matter how educated or experienced we are, we should remain humble, and always open to others’ input and advice.