10,000 Hours? Aww, Crap…

Malcolm Gladwell (http://www.gladwell.com/) is a fascinating guy. He does a freakin’ fantastic interview, too. I had the good fortune of listening to a radio interview the other day with my fantastically intelligent wife during which Mr. Gladwell talked about the 10,000 Hour Rule.

Brace yourself…

It takes about 10,000 hours to become really good at something. The people who investigate such things, Malcolm Gladwell included, talked to doctors, musicians, artists…they studied historical figures, famous leaders, successful business-folk…and they all either related with precision or anecdotally recalled that the 10-year mark in their career/profession/art was when they hit their groove, heard their muse, felt it all come together. Malcolm did some math and came to the conclusion that the “10,000 Hour Rule” can equal the “10 Year Rule” if you put in about 4 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s all 365 days of the year to become the bomb diggity at something.

My wife, being the bomb diggity herself (we’ve been married over 10 years, and I am DEFINITELY a more than 4 hour a day commitment), turned to me and said, “See? You’re great at your job!” She said that because I’ve been employed at the same place for over 10 years and have been in leadership for over 10 years, too. So, according to the 10,000 Hour Rule, I am great at what I do. I am an expert. I’m a pro. I am, according to The Rule, the bomb diggity.

But I’m not. There is something missing. And The Rule assumes that I’m hard-core practicing my leadership craft a full 4 hours a day with the intensity of a little Yo Yo Ma at the cello. But I’m not. I’d have to significantly up the ante and focus on refinement. That’s precisely what Marcus Buckingham asks you to do when you take the plunge and follow the Strong Week Plan process. Do more and more and more of what you love, of what you want to be good at, and design your weeks to bring you more of that thing. The more you do it, the better you will become at it.

10,000 hours? Awww, crap…