In praise of: Malcolm Gladwell

Last night I saw Malcolm Gladwell in London, talking about his new book, Outliers: The Story of Success. With the added bonus of sitting next to one of his Mum's friends, the talk was an interesting and enjoyable one.

The central story last night wasn't so much about success but its focus on an aeroplane crash did serve as an example of what can be learned from failure. I'm no reviewer but I felt that this event was relevant to the subject matter on this blog because, whether you agree with his conclusions or not, Gladwell's at times forensic attention to case study and detail is a superior one to emulate. Even when it doesn't shed light in the area we expect it to, analysis and questioning rarely fails to offer up useful insight.

I am looking forward to reading Outliers as it contains food for thought for anyone attempting to define success or learn from failure and in the context of career management, both are central to the pursuit of satisfaction and fulfilment from work.