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“What It Takes To Be Great,” by Geoffrey Colvin

Geoffrey Colvin's article's primary focus, "What it takes to be great," was published in

Fortune Magazine on 30 October 2006. While most individuals trust that greatness is natural,

Colvin and other researchers conclude that greatness is attained through deliberate practice and

hard work. The reflective practice involves continually observing results, high repetition, making

correct adjustments, and practicing for hours. In both an individual's and business life, Colvin

provides suggestions concerning how to enhance performance. Colvin uses synonyms such as

experts, elite performers world-class, great athletes, and most prominent to refer to individuals

who are best in their fields. In this context, the paper discusses that Colvin's claims that there is

no substitute for work, practice makes perfect, and natural-born abilities are irrelevant to success

are persuasive in attaining greatness.

Colvin's first central claim is that there is "no substitute for hard work" (Colvin 88). Any

individual desiring to become successful must not take working hard as an option. The hard work

must be of a specific type that is painful and demanding (Colvin 88). Practice and experience are

indicators of high-level performance. Consequently, Colvin claims that it takes around ten years

for an individual to become a world-class performer in their particular domains. An example

provided by Colvin as evidence is Bobby Fischer and John Horn. Nevertheless, most researchers

consider the ten-year rule to be a rough estimate and regard it as a minimum rather than an

average. Besides, in fields such as literature and music, an elite performer requires between
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twenty to thirty years of experience before hitting their zenith. Greatness is not handed to any

individual and needs a lot of hard work. However, most individuals work hard for decades

without getting significantly better or approaching greatness. The best individuals in any domain

devote most of their time in deliberate practice to improve their performance and reach the

objectives exceeding their competence, providing feedback on results through a high level of

repetition (Colvin 89). Colvin provides evidence for his argument by giving examples of Michael

Jordan, Jerry Rice, and Warren Buffet, claiming that they did no become the best for most

individuals' reasons. He claims that it is not that they were born to be great, but they became

great through practice and hard work, and thus everyone has the potential to be great. Elite

performers in different fields have been found to practice, on average, roughly the same amount

daily, even on weekends (Wai, Jonathan, and Rindermann 140). More deliberate practice results

in better performance. Thus, no individual is great without work.

Additionally, Colvin claims that “practice makes perfect” (Colvin 90). In this case,

Colvin proposes that individuals in the business world must create a practice in their works,

which needs critical changes. People must approach each task with a new objective. Instead of

merely attempting to get jobs done, they should aim to get better at it. Anything that an

individual does at work, from the primary activities to the complex, they have the potential of

improving their skills. Individuals should not be afraid to attempt and make their mistakes. The

most significant traits of deliberate practice include possessing the right attitude, setting goals

exceeding one's capacity, practicing consistently with high levels of repetition, and getting

feedback to make adjustments for improvement. People should recognize mistakes as a stepping

stone for development and enhanced performance. Besides, individuals should learn lessons

from the mistakes they make and avoid them in the future. Individuals process information more
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deeply and retain it with the desire to seek other viewpoints. The mindset persists in the

activities, and individuals try to explicitly get better in doing their jobs in a broader sense. Colvin

presents evidence for his claim by asserting that numerous studies have been conducted to

provide evidence for what great performers have been demonstrating for years. Colvin holds that

well-known athletes and musicians and athletes became great through deliberate practice (Colvin

90). Thus, deliberate work is what has enabled most individuals to become great.

Moreover, Colvin claims innate talent is irrelevant to success (Colvin 92). Greatness is

available to everyone and is not set aside for a predicted few. It is just too demanding.

Individuals do not have to be naturally born with a talent to do any task in a unique way and

understanding that can be surprising and liberating for most individuals. Some individuals are

more motivated than others, and the critical reality is that individuals are not bound to a naturally

given level of talent. One can make themselves what they will, although the notion is not

popular. Individuals hate abandoning the idea that they could coast to riches and fame if they

identified their talent. Yet the perspective is tragically constraining since when they face

difficulties in their lives, they conclude that they are not gifted and give up. However, the

argument has weaknesses. If practice comes after talent has revealed itself, exercise alone cannot

account for greatness in a specific field such as music (Winner, Ellen, and Jennifer 119). Both

practice and talent are essential, and genetic factors influence how individuals are willing to

work in music fields. Individual differences witnessed in achievement result from the effort.

Feedback is critical, and getting it should not be a problem in business. However, most

individuals do not seek it. Individuals should incorporate feedback into all organizations'

cultures. Those not lucky to get feedback should seek it out. Individuals should have the

objective of building "mental models of their business" to picture how the elements fit together
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and influence each other (Colvin 92). The more one works on it, the larger their mental models

will become hence improving their performance. Individuals should build their situation,

industry, career, and company's cognitive approaches by enlarging the designs to include more

aspects. They should undertake the step regularly rather than sporadically because occasional

practice does not work. For most individuals, work may be hard enough without pushing harder,

and the extra steps may be challenging and painful to the extent of not getting done. Experts

must understand where the behavior that causes excellent performance comes from and identify

the factors that motivate people to engage in deliberate practice.

In conclusion, Colvin presents the claims that there is no substitute for hard work,

practice makes perfect, and natural-born talents are irrelevant to success in his article. Colvin’s

argument is persuasive and essential for individuals desiring to know how they can achieve

greatness. It is significant to recognize that although individuals possess natural-born talents,

deliberate practice is needed to make improvements to achieve greatness. Excelling is not a

consequence of having innate gifts. One only achieves greatness through working hard for many

years. No individual is great without work; thus, people must practice and gain experience.

However, genetic factors influence the efforts made by an individual for high achievement. The

best individuals in any domain devote most of their time to improving performance and attaining

goals beyond their competence. Thus, consistency is essential. Colvin presented the information

to enable individuals to master and maintain their path to greatness.

Works Cited

Colvin, Geoffrey. "What it takes to be great." Fortune 30 (2006): 88-96.

Wai, Jonathan, and Heiner Rindermann. "What goes into high educational and occupational

achievement? Education, brains, hard work, networks, and other factors." High Ability

Studies 28.1 (2017): 127-145.

Winner, Ellen, and Jennifer E. Drake. "Giftedness and expertise: The case for genetic

potential." Journal of Expertise 1.2 (2018): 114-120.