What if everything you know about raw talent, hardwork and great performance is wrong? What really separates world-class performers from everybody else.
Few, if any of the people around you are truly great at what they do. But why aren't they? Why don't they manage businesses like Jack Welch or Andy Grove, play golf like Tiger Woods or play the violin like Itzhak Perlman? Many of us believe that exceptional success is the result of natural talent. However, scientific evidence doesn't support the notion that natural talents make great performers.
In one of the most popular Fortune articles in years, Geoff Colvin offered new evidence that greatness comes not from DNA but from practice and perseverance honed over decades. The key is how you practice, analyse the results of your progress and learn from you mistakes. Now Colvin has expanded his article with more scientific background and real-life examples. He shows that the skills of business - negotiating deals, evaluating financial statements and all the rest - obey the same principles so that anybody can get better with the right kind of effort and even the hardest decisions and interactions can be improved.
