Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite authors. Love The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. He spoke at the Catalyst Conference and then a few of us had lunch with him. Brilliant mind. Just thought I'd share a few things he shared during the lunch.
"The path to anything real and meaningful is long."
He shared his concern about emerging generations having it "too easy." Our advantages might prove to be disadvantages because "quick success" doesn't last very long. And disadvantages often prove to be advantages because of who you become in overcoming those challenges!
He said his personal philosophy is: "everyone is interesting." And the onus is on YOU to figure out what makes them interesting. Like that approach to people.
"Don't play by the rules."
David defeated Goliath because he didn't play by the rules! He didn't fight with swords. He pulled out a slingshot.
"Read random things."
If you've read his books you can tell that Malcolm reads random things! That's why I love his writing. He juxtaposes things. He is the master of metaphor. And he makes you see old things in new ways!
"The path to anything real and meaningful is long."
He shared his concern about emerging generations having it "too easy." Our advantages might prove to be disadvantages because "quick success" doesn't last very long. And disadvantages often prove to be advantages because of who you become in overcoming those challenges!
He said his personal philosophy is: "everyone is interesting." And the onus is on YOU to figure out what makes them interesting. Like that approach to people.
"Don't play by the rules."
David defeated Goliath because he didn't play by the rules! He didn't fight with swords. He pulled out a slingshot.
"Read random things."
If you've read his books you can tell that Malcolm reads random things! That's why I love his writing. He juxtaposes things. He is the master of metaphor. And he makes you see old things in new ways!
5 Comments:
Three cheers for Gladwell. He's an author that's hard to stop reading. He writes non-fiction like a talented novelist who's mastered the cliff-hanger.
I absolutely loved Tipping Point & how Gladwell's mind works. His genius is in making complex things so simple!
I appreciate your generosity too, in sharing these gems from him.
Thanks Mark.
"Don't play by the rules."
Does that include the 10 Commandments?
I'm not trying to be funny, this is a serious question. How do you discern between when and when not to "play by the rules"?
Randy,
Thanks for the laugh :)
Malcolm used that analogy in the context of David using a sling instead of a sword not the 10 commandments.
If you're actually interested, you can Google his entire article called "David versus Goliath." I think it was a New Yorker article. Awesome stuff.
Malcolm isn't a theologian. He's a thinker. And most of his applications are more business oriented. Maybe that helps give context. If you haven't read his books they are definitely worth the read.
Mark
"Malcolm isn't a theologian. He's a thinker"
OK, that puts it in context. Thanks.
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