I have read and enjoyed several of Malcolm Gladwell’s books. In “Outliers,” he argues that success comes down to repetitive practice and hard work. It transformed how I view the notion of success.

Last year, I picked up another of his books — “David and Goliath.” The premise behind this one is that even though David was smaller in size compared to Goliath, he actually was much more skilled with a sling, much more nimble in his movements, and in a way similar to a sniper in today’s military. Goliath was big, but some anthropologists feel he may have had a growth hormone disease and been partially blind. Despite his size advantage, Goliath actually never had a chance.

David was perceived as the underdog because he was smaller. But he overcame his “disadvantage” by learning to use a sling. Gladwell takes this theory and applies it to many aspects of today’s business success stories. One such analogy is the story of attorney David Boies. He was born with dyslexia, but as he learned how to manage his education and life, he perfected many other skills to compensate for his disability. His listening skills became a huge asset and helped him through a California marriage case years ago, which then catapulted him to become a nationally known attorney.

To help make his point about smaller sometimes being better, Gladwell uses the story of a college student requiring the right environment for success. When a very bright young woman, who excelled in high school, attends Brown University with other brilliant students, she instantly feels out of place. Imagine feeling like the dumbest person in a room of geniuses. She struggles with her course load, which affects her academic scores, but also her social life. Her overall faith in herself diminishes. It’s only after she transfers to a smaller school that her confidence level starts to soar as she succeeds. She needed to be in the right place.

In “David and Goliath” there are half a dozen other interesting chapters exemplifying how people have overcome difficulties to succeed, from civil rights leaders in Montgomery, Alabama, to the mindset of cancer researchers. Gladwell makes his message loud and clear: Many times having a disadvantage in certain situations can create an opportunity to work around your weaknesses. Couple that with hard work and you can overcome any obstacle to achieve success.

 

 


Michael Diamond
Managing Partner
AffinEco, LLC
Bridgeport, Connecticut

 


The Bible story of David vs. Goliath teaches that underdogs can win. Or was the fight actually in David’s favor?

In “David and Goliath,” published by Little, Brown and Company, author Malcolm Gladwell uses examples from the battlefields of Ireland and Vietnam, the minds of cancer researchers and civil rights leaders, and more to rethink the notions of obstacles and disadvantages. Setbacks in life can actually be used to our advantage.




POSTED ON: 7/21/2015