Outliers is a book that investigates the unacknowledged and powerful forces that impact the ability of individuals to be successful. Gladwell finds that it isn't simply that a particular person was smarter or worked harder than others. In fact, while being smart and working hard are almost always part of the bargain, Gladwell has found that everything from when you were born, where you grew up, who your parents are, and the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) impact of your culture have a lot to do with your success.
My experience reading Gladwell's work is pure joy with a heavy serving of fascination. How he manages to scare up so many interesting stories and weave the experiences of very different individuals together into a coherent narrative is well beyond me. That's the fascination part. The pure joy comes from seeing how the things that I study and teach (the impact of our communication patterns on our daily lives) play such a significant role in Gladwell's findings. Take, for instance, the chapter entitled The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes. Gladwell's research shows that the problem with Korean Air, an airline with a dismal safety record up until the very late 90s, was not that their pilots were incompetent or their planes were unsafe. The problem was that the ways of communicating in Korean culture that had been passed down from much earlier generations prevented effective problem-solving communication between the captain and flight crew in the cockpit. Korea is a culture in which authority is highly revered. Because of the way the captain and crew related (the crew was expected to take care of the captain during layovers and breaks, even going so far as to cook meals and buy gifts for him), there was very little room for disagreement with the captain's decisions in flight. Gladwell notes that in one instance, a first mate was backhanded by the captain for incorrectly performing a procedure during flight!
Korean Air has turned itself around and is now among the safest airlines. They did this by implementing a new operations strategy that acknowledged the impact of traditional Korean culture and emphasized the importance of language in the relationships of the crew. Language was the key to transforming the culture of the flight crews from one of revered silence resulting in many crashes to respected colleagues who voice their opinions and end up landing safely every time. All Korean Air flight crews now use English (a language that doesn't worry so much about authority and position) in all communication with each other. And, they have explicitly addressed the expectations that are now in place for how pilots and their subordinates should address each other.
Outliers is a book that will motivate you to look beyond the obvious and examine how seemingly unrelated factors can have a significant impact on how you relate with others and the level of success you find in your own life. If for not other reason than that it is chock-full of great stories to tell at cocktail parties, I say that you must read it! I know I'll be using it a lot in my workshops from now on. So, if you'll be sitting in on them, maybe you shouldn't read it, that way all of my stories will be fresh and fun!
-- Millie Shaw
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