The Many Facets of Success Essay Example

Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” identifies people who go beyond the common scope of the ordinary. He identifies, among many success stories such as that of athletes, southerners, Chris Langan, and The Beatles, that there is far more to success than one person’s luck. While success has long been analyzed as a multifaceted concept, Gladwell brings to light the key components that make someone successful.The many key determinants of success in “Outliers,” can be summarized into the three main factors of opportunity, legacy, and intelligence; but this summary of success fails to recognize the critical detail of the individual and his or her own personality’s contribution to success.

Opportunity, which involves the factors of timing and circumstances, is “neither earned nor deserved, but benefits the individual regardless, and leads to more opportunities” (22). Opportunity includes the time in which someone is born, which affects the opportunities available to them during their lifetime; and the circumstances of their world as they develop and work towards success. 

A closer look at a sports team roster shows that the vast majority of top soccer and hockey athletes are born at the very beginning of the year, between the months of January and March (20). This is not a mere coincidence, but rather a display of the effects that timing has on success. The average cutoff date for athlete age divisions is January first, which means that those born in the earliest months of the year are more physically mature than those born immediately before the cutoff date (20). Athletes born in the earliest months of the year have an advantage over those born in the later months - not because of their own efforts, but because of their timing (21). As a result, these individuals receive more opportunities than those born later in the year as they appear to have greater potential, for reasons completely out of the athletes’ control. 

Legacy, which encompasses the determinants of upbringing and cultural background, is “the traditions and attitudes we inherit from our forebears,” which influence our success or failure (121). Historical records of the south in the 1800s show proof of a “culture of honor” which continues to impact the success of southerners today (115). A study at the University of Michigan in the early 1990s found that the term “asshole,” provoked those from the south, whereas northern men were more or less, unbothered (119). This southern focus on honor creates “a world where a man’s reputation is at the center of his livelihood” (116). As a result, the men of the south have a stronger “stand your ground” mindset, and this thought process remains intact today, resulting in larger amounts of perceived aggression from men from the south and a quicker angry reflex to someone’s aggression towards them (119). Similar to the way opportunities lead to our success, our legacies can play the same role in affecting our interactions with others, our perception of the world, and the methods which we use in attaining success (121). 

Intelligence can be separated into two parts: practical intelligence and analytical intelligence. Analytical intelligence does not require language skills or a specific body of acquired knowledge, but rather is “a measure of abstract reasoning skills” (53) It is most commonly measured as an intelligence quotient or IQ. Research regarding IQs has shown a correlation between success and intelligence: the higher an individual’s IQ, “the more education you’ll get, the more money you’re likely to make, and—believe it or not—the longer you’ll live” (57). Chris Langan, a certified genius with an IQ of 195, had incredibly high analytical intelligence and was incredibly successful in testing, and had great potential for success (50). Although intelligence has a threshold, meaning that it only matters up to a certain extent, it has proven to be a key determinant of success. 

According to psychologist Robert Sternberg, practical intelligence is “knowing what to say to whom, knowing when to say it, and knowing how to say it for maximum effect” (71). Practical intelligence, unlike analytical, is innate, procedural, and learned indirectly through experience and interaction. This kind of knowledge assists in reading situations correctly and in order to get what you want. The two kinds of intelligence are independent and the presence of one does not imply the presence of the other (72). Chris Langan, for example, lacked practical intelligence. Despite his potential for great success, Langan was unable to understand what he needed to say, and to whom to say it to, in order for him to be successful. Chris Langan never completed college due to this lack of practical intelligence (71). Although the two types of intelligence are separate from one another, an individual’s success relies on the presence of both. 

 Gladwell argues that many factors that contribute to success, rather than simply one singular attribution. Although the factors of opportunity, legacy, and intelligence are important contributors to success, none of these things matter if a person has no drive to take advantage of these determinants. If a person is unable to see, or unwilling to take advantage of these factors, then they cease to bear any importance. In cases such as that of the Beatles, in which they had the advantage of talent, timing, and circumstance, they were able to achieve success through their own work ethic, in addition to the external factors. As high school students, The Beatles accepted the opportunity to play at a nightclub in Germany (35). The fact that they took advantage of the opportunity, shows a great deal of dedication to achieving success. In order for a person to become successful, it is most important that they have a will and a want to succeed. Without the confidence and the drive to achieve or attain success, the six factors that Gladwell identifies as determinants of success are worthless. 

Gladwell’s identification of the six key factors to a person’s success brings to light the commonly overlooked contributors to success. Despite Gladwell’s in-depth analysis of success and emphasis on its surrounding factors, he failed to recognize the importance of the person themself. Gladwell addresses the multifaceted concept of success, without identifying one true key factor. Rather, Gladwell argues that success is not in fact the direct result of an excellent effort by one person or one singular influence, but rather of the perfect storm in which external factors work together for one person’s ultimate success.