Decoding Greatness
How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success
-
-
4.8 • 8 Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
National Bestseller
For readers of Outliers, Atomic Habits, and Deep Work, comes a game-changing approach to unlocking your greatness, using a secret strategy that’s vaulted business titans and creative geniuses to the top of their profession.
We’ve long been taught there are two ways to succeed—either talent or practice. In Decoding Greatness, award-winning social psychologist Ron Friedman illuminates a powerful third path—one that has launched icons in a wide range of fields, from artists, writers, and chefs, to athletes, inventors, and entrepreneurs: reverse engineering.
To reverse engineer is to look beyond what is evident on the surface and find a hidden structure. It’s the ability to taste an intoxicating dish and deduce its recipe, to listen to a beautiful song and discern its chord progression, to watch your favorite film and grasp its narrative arc.
“Clear, concise, and backed by science” (Daniel Pink, author of When), Decoding Greatness marries “alluring stories and illuminating studies” (Adam Grant, author of Think Again) of top performers—from Agatha Christie to Andy Warhol, Barack Obama, to Serena Williams—with groundbreaking research on pattern recognition and skill acquisition. You’ll learn how to take apart acheivements you admire, pinpoint precisely what makes them work, and apply that knowledge to develop novel ideas and products that are uniquely your own.
Bursting with unforgettable stories and actionable strategies, Decoding Greatness is an indispensable guide to learning from the best, upgrading your skills, and sparking breakthrough ideas.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
To replicate a successful formula one needs to take it apart, see how it works, and improve upon it, psychologist Friedman (The Best Place to Work) advises in this empowering guide. Engineers, he writes, have long known that "systematically taking things apart to explore their inner workings and extract new insights" is an excellent way to create new products. Expanding on this idea, Friedman discusses how artists, chefs, athletes, and other professionals can use the process of reverse engineering to acquire new skills and spark creativity. He walks readers through examples of using data mining and analysis to spot patterns in such areas as a good TED talk, blockbuster superhero movies, and record-breaking sports performances. An appendix with 10 strategies for readers to apply to their work contains such practical tips as "become a collector" of inspiration, "think in blueprints" to identify patterns, and "don't mimic, evolve." While the central concept isn't particularly innovative, Friedman's tips will nonetheless inspire readers to learn from what they admire. Those in need of a refresh of their problem-solving skills should give this a look.
