According to a collection of scientific experts, you don't need to be a natural born anything to be great at something.
In Fortune magazine's What it takes to be great, Geoffrey Colvin cites British researchers who concluded, "The evidence we have surveyed ... does not support the [notion that] excelling is a consequence of possessing innate gifts."
The findings have been consistent across a variety of fields.
So ... what does it really take to achieve best-of-planet status? Try working your ass off -- in the right manner -- for at least 10 years. Then maybe, just maybe, you'll become world-class.
Turns out your Aunt Lil was right when she said practice makes perfect. Colvin introduces us to something called "deliberate practice" and tells us, "It's activity that's explicitly intended to improve performance, that reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results and involves high levels of repetition."
Sounds like direct marketing people who choose not to be in a state of suspended animation.
Professionals who keep growing, year after year, are apparently rare birds. "In virtually every field of endeavor, most people learn quickly at first, then more slowly and then stop developing completely," Colvin says.
Know any marketing people who fit that description?
