What It Takes To Be Great Harvard Colvin Analysis

197 Words1 Page

The main focus of Geoff Colvin’s article, “ What It Takes To Be Great”, published by Fortune magazine on October 30, 2006 is research on what it takes to be great. Colvin notes that the researchers were first curious why what really separates world class performers from everybody else and that led them to study elite performers such as Michael Jordan. While may believe that natural talent is needed to be great, the researchers and Colvin conclude that greatness is only achieved through deliberate practice. Deliberate practice includes having the right mindset and doing the activity in order to get better, not just to get it done, setting specific goals beyond one's current ability, practicing well consistently and with high levels of repetition

Show More
Related

  • Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was not until the year 2002 that the NBA was able to find someone to match Jordan’s dazzling acrobatic style of play. His name is Lebron James. Lebron, who plays shooting guard and small forward, stands at an athletic six-eight. James, however, never played in the NCAA. He was drafted straight out of high school in the 2003-04 season, by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James is already on the road to success by achieving co-rookie of the year, and he appeared in the Olympics. James is expected to be a champion, but he may not have what it takes to become a real champion such as Michael Jordan was. Before Jordan or James can be categorized as a champion, they have to be able to handle pressure, fame, and maintain a positive relationship with their team. When comparing Jordan and James’ clutch capabilities, or their ab...

    Read More

  • Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Secret To Success

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theory that the more one practices the better one becomes. To follow the dream of excellence you must practice your assignment for a total of 10,000 hours or more. “The students who would end up the best in their class began to practice more than everyone else: six hours a week by age nine, eight hours a week by age twelve, sixteen hours by age fourteen, and up and up, until the age of twenty they were practicing well over thirty hours a week” (39) in a sense this excerpt confirms what society has told people for years, that practice makes perfect. Of course some people are born with raw talent, however how does one expect to improve their abilities if they do not rehearse. Anyone can be mediocre without practice, but in order to make it in the big shots one must give their one hundred and ten percent to beat out the competition. It’s all about how one distinguishes themself from another and the only way to do that is to show off that skill that has been practiced repeatedly. Preferably 10,000 hours

    Read More

  • Malcom Gladwell : The Truth behind the 10,000 Hour Rule

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    The road to greatness is a long path filled with struggle and time. Based on research by the best-selling author Malcom Gladwell inside his book Outliers popularized the idea of 10,000 hours of guided practice “the magic number of greatness”(Gladwell, 47). With enough practice he said anyone could achieve any work that of a professional. While some say the 10,000 hour rule is the key to success I believe that success is based on genetics, talent, and time period. It is whether one was born with the talent, achieved it later within life or was born during the wrong time period is what makes a master out of someone. Where the 10,000 hour rule is not a truth.

    Read More

  • Mundanity Of Excellence Summary

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    We see that in the reading “Mundanity of Excellence,” by Daniel F Chambliss, the focus is on nature of excellence as it pertains to Olympic swimming. Mr. Chambliss supplies the reader with his experience and sociological approach to his theory that “talent is useless.” I will now provide you with a brief commentary on how sociology relates to developing human talent. It is perceived that one’s natural goal is to accomplish perfection in a “talent” or gift. This ranges from numerous types of talents whether it is sports, entertainment, acting, or even a technical skill. In a sociologist way of thinking we realize that excellence is not only achieved by quantitative or qualitative improvements, it encompasses several factors. I want to

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Kobe Bryant

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    The NBA is well known for the number of amazing professional athletes it has had over the years. Some of the most gifted and talented individuals come through the NBA and one of the better-known superstars is none other than Kobe Bryant. For years people have wondered what makes Bryant so successful. The main contributors that lead to Kobe Bryant’s success is his hard work and dedication, his mindset, his natural ability’s and talent, and the people that have helped him throughout his life. Kobe Bryant was very successful in the NBA because of the amount of hard work he has put in, the people in his life, his relentless determination and his god given natural abilities.

    Read More

  • Andrew Delanco's Three Reasons College Still Matters

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    What purpose does having a college education serve beyond obtaining a degree? Can a person acquire the same results without having a college education? Why does college matter? These are all questions to ask in making a decision on whether or not furthing education beyond highschool is important. In his essay "3 Reasons College Still Matters," Andrew Delanco argues that receiving a higher education provides economic, liberal, and political advantages. Attending college and obtaining an education has benefits that are both calculable and incalculable relating to ones outcome economically, socially, and politically. The fact of the matter is, college is indeed important, and it does hold value in today's society.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Tough's 'College Conundrum'

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tough depicts the college conundrum as a prevalent matter in America’s higher education system, and investigates the cause of this national phenomenon. He describes the college conundrum when he states, “Why are so many American students dropping out of college just as a college degree has become so valuable and just as young people in the rest of the world have begun to graduate in such remarkable numbers?” (Tough 150). He illustrates the disturbing trend of an exponential growth in college dropouts rates in America, even when a bachelor’s degree is seen as a valuable asset, and graduation rates in other countries have considerably risen in comparison. Subsequently, Tough sought to uncover the root causes for this complication. As a result,

    Read More

  • Three Reasons College Still Matters By Andrew Delbanco

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    In recent years, many have debated whether or not a college education is a necessary requirement to succeed in the field of a persons’ choice and become an outstanding person in society. On one hand, some say college is very important because one must contribute to society. The essay Three Reasons College Still Matters by Andrew Delbanco shows three main reasons that students should receive their bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, many question the point of wasting millions of dollars on four years or maybe more to fight for highly competitive jobs that one might not get. Louis Menand wrote an article based on education titled Re-Imagining Liberal Education. This article challenges the main thought many americans have after receiving a secondary education. Louis Menand better illustrates the reasons why a student should rethink receiving a post secondary education better than Andrew Delbanco’s three reasons to continue a person’s education.

    Read More

  • Menand's Three Theories Of College

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    During my first few days of sophomore year at Stuyvesant High School, I saw how the ways of thinking were diverse in each of my classes. In my European Literature class, where, in our first reading assignment, we questioned the purpose of education itself. I always went with the flow in my learning, and never stopped to say to myself, “Why am I doing this to myself?”. However, once I read Live and Learn by Louis Menand, I started to think about Menand’s three theories of college and juxtapose each of them to my experience so far in high school. In the end, I concluded that many of my classes followed the main points of Theory 2, which was the theory that I mostly agreed with when I read the article for the first time.

    Read More

  • Sports Specialization

    1826 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sports specialization among young people is when a child or teenager trains for and competes in only one sport. They work extremely hard year-round in order to become well-rounded in every aspect of the game. They make sacrifices and put their health in jeopardy in order to become the ultimate participant in their sport. One of the many young athletes who is only participating in and focusing on one sport is fifteen-year-old OJ Mayo from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the young talented athlete who is predicted to be the next LeBron James in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This young athlete provides evidence of striving for perfection in this single sport when reviewing his daily schedule versus that of his siblings. He says, “The other kids go home and sleep. I come back to the gym” (Thompson, 2004). He is obviously putting forth a lot of effort in his sport to become successful at an early age.

    Read More

  • how to become a great baseball player

    496 Words  | 1 Pages

    Being great at a particular sport, such as baseball, is actually quite simple. It takes a mix of talent and even more hard work. I have seen a very large number of athletes come through this high school with all the talent in the world, but had no work ethic. Talent is only a fraction of what is needed to be great.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay No Dream Is Too Big

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The odds of a high school basketball player making it to the “next level” to play college basketball (DI, II, or III) is slim. In fact, only 3.4% of high school players go on to play college basketball. Taking it even further, only 1.2% of college basketball players go on to get drafted in the NBA” (Winters, 2016). There are two types of players in the game. There are the kids who play basketball because they are athletic, and all they are seeking to gain is the recognition and awards. They want to be known. Those players are self-centered, they do not play for the team, and generally don’t play because they love the game. These are the types of players who don’t usually go on to play at the next level. On the other hand, there are the players that absolutely dedicate their life to the game of basketball just because they love the game. That is what coaches are looking for in a player, and that is the kind of player I am striving to be.

    Read More

  • Phil Jackson Triangle Offense Analysis

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    In todays world everything is about winning. People will do anything to win. To get a win we have to be the best and to fight with competition. Everybody knows what it takes to be the best, to beceome a champion. Determination and hard work are keys to success. Especially in basketball becoming a champion is long and hard. National Basketball Association league is full of good teams, coaches and players. Every of them wants to get a ring, which is most important thing in NBA. One man found a key to success. He won eleven championships with Bulls and Lakers. But how did he that?

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of How To Transform An Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone wants to get better at something, but some want it more than others. In “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the narrator wants to get better at basketball, so he wakes up everyday at 4:30 to go with his dad to his work. Everyday, the narrator would wait 3 hours in his dad’s car until the gym opened, only to sit on the bench and watch the other men play basketball. Finally, one of the best players, Dante, tells the narrator he can play but he’ll get “smoked”. However, the narrator proved him wrong. The narrator learns that if you persevere, work hard, and have confidence, your dreams may come true. In How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place

    Read More

  • The Mentality of an Athlete

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    athletes are physically talented and train hard. But what separates the good athletes from the best is simply their mental strength (Gregoire 1). Someone could be the most talented at...

    Read More

More about What It Takes To Be Great Harvard Colvin Analysis

Open Document