I am a huge Gladwell supporter, but you hit the nail on the head. Business is changes drastically on a daily bases. I found with myself, I can not run our family business the same way my parents or grand parents did. The market has changed and almost changes on a yearly bases. If I continued to do what my family did we would have been closed now. Time teaches does help you to be street wise, but adapting to the market quickly makes sure that you survive.

I believe that the 10K theory has to be used in association with meany other theories. One needs to keep in mind that nothing is made out of a single element. Thus we should refrain from teaching a single theory as the key element. I can brake down the 10K hour theory to say its made up of law of attraction and law of averages, its powered by law of association. i.e. I can play tennis for more then 10K hours but if I dont see myself being the best, I wont (law of attraction). I have to play as many people as I can and win or lose (law of averages). I need to have a strong team of coaches, manager, family and friends (law of association) just to better my chances of being the best.

Just reminded me of the late Diamante that developed Tyson, he used to whisper in his ear that he should be quick cause "speed kills". Speed is the order of the day. Incredibly delivered , Thank you.

I always wondered this concept, but didn't know how to tackle it. I'm glad you did and it makes sense to me. I was thinking along these lines because you see others coming up in business creating massive success, but only been open for a few years. Thanks for this video.

Speed and execution are definitely essential, that's why I love startups, it's all about the speed of light. Awesome perspective Vusi. Cheers, Orane

Well said and many will not let it soak in. Basically focus on importance and master what will matter.

Amazing, I am inspired by your passion for raising young entrepreneurs. You really are doing a great work

Excellent argument considering the times we now live in.

Wow, where have you been while I started and failed a few times. You're speaking to me.

I agree, with the 10K hour. I started applying it myself after reading a book by Brian Tracy. In order to succeed at what I wanted to succeed at, I worked diligently, albeit only for some 7800, I am quiet competent now.

You have just intrigued me to go re-read an email from James Clear. He talks about the 1% rule in that email. Keep up the insightful work.

Insightful. I concur with your argument Mr Thembekwayo.

Super insightful that I ended up subscribing. I discovered your channel just now and you have yourself a follower

This is so good! Thanks for sharing!

Enough Said. On Point most of these critics are actually NOT in business therefore are oblivious to what its really like creating value for your customer.

I can totally agree to the thoughts that you have shared but lets not forget that accuracy is equally important.

Good thinker you are Sir. Interesting.

You only get to learn quickly when you invest more hours. SPEED = TIME

I agree and disagree. I would not necessary say speed, rather timing. Timing the market is one of the key factors in success according to Bill Gross (especially associated with start-ups). Timing can be the difference of impacting the market at the right time. It is as the saying goes: At the right place at the right time. But I definitely agree that in today`s paced life speed can be a decisive factor. The person who learns the fastest can stay ahead, because we live in the information overload era. The faster you can learn and adapt the better of you are.

Well said...i saw a TED video that used this analogy...If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures and your learning rate can be that much faster. granted you do need to put in hours of experience to better come up with metaphors that apply to what you wish to learn. But i am glad there's other people challenging a great discovery but also testing ...other ways to skin the cat so to speak...

I admire you Mr. Thembekwayo, but I gently disagree with your premise that speed is more important than time spent. The context of Gladwells book in its entirety suggests gains (value) attained through an array of outlying factors. Gladwell offers many factors that contribute to outcomes; timing, chance, opportunity, even date of birth. Read the book in its entirety-and be careful not to use your faulty assumptions in the context of business only. That said, keep building a legacy of thinkers, and business owners!!! You are appreciated.

Speed is even more critical in the network marketing industry. In some professions, slow and steady may win the race but certainly not in network marketing. However, in terms of skill acquisition, time spent is still critical. The more time you spend developing the skill set, the better your chances of being at the top. In a nutshell, CONSISTENCY is the key to success

awesome video speed is important than time spent

A good example of speed vs hours in the modern day is Google search. There are some industries that relied on you not knowing something that is now searchable on Google in 4 seconds. Efficiency and speed is the silver bullet for this time.

the cinematography here

I agree good point the aim is too make money not be good

Totally agree, I believe technology has contributed to the speed factor being important now.

Point on! That theory can only be true if everything remains constant, without which it doesn't hold.

The problem arises when when we say " If you want to the best in ANY chosen field ". This is too much of a generalisation and therefore cannot apply to everybody or every field. Let me assume that the person who pioneered this theory was an expert in a certain field, he cannot be an advocate for all fields. Sadly, there is no single book on entrepreneurship that covers "everything" because markets, industries, economies etc are different. The challenge is to identify what works or doesn't work in your own business/industry.

is it Antifragile by Nassim Taleb who also says the 10k hours is valid if rules don't change? I think so. I like the speed idea, fantastic!

People are over thinking and making his case complicated what he said applied to me very profoundly as a budding entrepreneur. This is addressing the traditionalist mindset where you spend time developing a product/service especially as start ups, believing you will make exponential profits only to realize that consumers don't want it and if they do, bigger competition runs with your concept globally, faster than you have taken time to figure it out and make massive profits. There are people who teach and apply this concept to business, time = value. I have come to the glaring reality that expending efforts into research, filing patents, seeking government assistance. will not equate to profit. 1. It's tricky to test new products on the market given patent/design restrictions. 2. The government agency contacts are huge business people that can steal your idea and develop it in 2 months while you take 2 year. My advice some people can still go through to learn the inner workings of the system, in spite of failure, once they have a Plan B.

One has to READ - The Dip by Seth Godin in order to understand Gladwell's theory. I think they are both beneficial read together.

great observation speed matters like in F1 for example

I think the takeaway is not speed but quality in the lessons learned. For a highly focused person who is attentive, their 10,000 hours worth of learning could manifest in 2 years, for some, they need 10 years if their learning is passive.

Mr Thembekwayo. I agree with you that the 10000 rule has flaws but speed yhoo. Malcolm was referring to skills development for example ten years ago what you would say about business is not the same. What makes you a great speaker it is not the speed at which you learnt public speaking but the hours you spent talking. The topics may change that does not reverse the hours isn't it? The more you speak the better you become. I bet there are some presentations that you did long ago that you wander why people even listened to you.Neuroplasticity , some people will learn some skills faster than others . By the way even in that 10000 hours if you don't increase the difficulty it still might not get you results.To move the lines in tennis doesn't require a new skill but a shift in target.

Thanks for sharing, Vusi,. However, I think Kodak's expert engineers' work was only undermined by KodaK's marketing strategy team who did not redefine Kodak;s value proposition fast enough as an expert would...So maybe that strategy team has worked on their hours elsewhere by now :)

Good Day Mr Thembekwayo. We have an online radio platform that educates students. Therefore are we permitted to use this video clip, convert it to a soundbite and use it for our radio show? on condition we credit you?

Colorful insight into the 10,000 hrs theory;i get where he's approaching from considering he's in Private equity,i mean these guys are looking to acquire startups & early stage companies hopefully turn them around (speedily) and exit early (speed). So innately speed is key for him. However in Gladwell's theory he's taking about complex cognitive tasks eg chess grand master,pianist,artists,programmers,some sports etc. Not to denigrate totally what he's saying there will be some instances where speed is rewarded/punished and vice versa leading to the hare/tortoise mindset argument all over again.

Very true indeed.

Ive never heard of this study of gymnasts and tennis players in the 1910s to the 1940s. Ericsson's research who was the reference research, studied violinists in the 1990s.

I agree with you 100% but I think what Malcolm was emphasizing was commitment to something rather than the hours themselves.

🙏🏽💎🔥thank you

that taken from Robert Greene Matery book right?

Very interesting

i love this video

Value Value " timing & speed "

My black powerful brother i respect u muntu omnyam its possible

Read 'Mastery' by Robert Greene, this theories that to become a master in your field you need to put in 10 000 hours and becoming a master isn't meaning great at it while the rules remain constant but devolping creativity and having access to solutions many other can't see, hence still gaining the ability to adapt to rule changes.

"In the modern-day speed is important..." Thank you sir!

Quantity does not always give us Quality

Mr Vusi, Gladwell did't get it wrong at all. At a superficial level your argument is ok . At an abstract level it's questionable. The skill any expert build during the 10k hours of practice is "Adaptability" itself. That's one quality anyone who is deemed to be an expert in whatever field possess. Tiger Woods became the best golfer not because he spend 10k hours hitting balls from a single spot. He spent those hours honing in on adapting to the ever changing environment. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hit low trajectory shots when there is a lot of wind. Or putt with a driver etc. As a speaker you may have already done your 10k, I can bet you, the one thing you have had to deal with is "adapting" to different types of audiences and speaking conditions not speaking itself. Give me an example of an "Expert" whose skill became obsolete please. Expert.

Thanks Vusi

Great video. However how does one run if they don't know how to walk. Skill can only be developed through relentlessly beating on ones craft day after day , year after year. Attaining a skill is not enough you constantly have to innovate and adapt to the changing environment.

smart. good point

I agree!

you just got a new subscriber, i do not completely agree but you argued your point well

We have companies and other organizations that have existed for decades, and yet some guys will gather themselves and can easily send them off the market (the major prove of disruptive innovation that will have all around today). If I can catch up with you means I already know what you know and most especially what you don't, it's simple.

Sadly this is true. Just put 10,000 hours on a skill that hardly ever change with huge value like leadership, management, and communication skills. We shouldn't put way too much emphasis on something that changes regularly. Unfortunately, I have to put way too much of effort on something that change way too often (computer) because of circumstances. Yeah, call me whatever but I'm continuing my graduate study at CS because of others:'(.

WOW!

I like Vusi ..Vusi Thembekwayo are you "Traveling"? brother

Nice speed is more important then time consuming

damn!this guy.so right

what is there to challenge the more you do something the better you get at it simples

Wow...

Thanks to "Vusi & Research Team"

okay. so here's my opinion. i believe the 10 000 rule is still relevant. just that now you have to be flexible in your approach because like he said, the market changes, consumers want better things as such the goal must stay the same yes, and you only change your approach.

Basic physics will tell you that speed is measured by distance over time. Time has value always bcz without it, then your speed would be impossible....

Gladwell is not the source of the 10,000 hours argument. The source is a Swedish psychologist named Ericsson

nice

Just found your channel and subscribed. Thanks for your perspective my nigga!

what a beast

maxwell didn't get it wrong because Robert Greene said the same thing in his book mastery, he said it takes 10000 hours to reach mastery that you have gained enough capacity to bend and change the rules.

Summary: in business an idea may become obsolete after you spend 10k hours in it so the speed of learning new material is more important than the hours invested. Save your time, no need to watch the video if ypu reas my summary.

That’s apples and oranges comparison. 10k is more applicable on Sports or talent related fields. Business doesn’t require daily practices like most sports does. You can reach the top in two years or after 10 years or 100 years. Like retail business for instance. You may need 10k hours to become the best speaker. But to build a business model around that talent, maybe such a a coaching/training company, it will take more than 10k hours. Coz the are other people/employees involved & the market & demand is forever changing as you put it. You could have made your point without making reference to or disputing Malcolm’s theory. Perhaps you wanted to gain the Attention of his audience, which would be brilliant. Be that as it may, you remain an inspiration to us. Respect

That's funny. Speed is not at all where I was expecting you to go with this. Given your examples, isn't adaptability the key asset? Even speed of adaptation isn't necessarily correct, if it means not taking the time to truly read the tea leaves and understand which adaptation will be best for the long term.

intersting

Well. i won't get more precis than that...

deep

If its an idea, it should be challenged. Thank you for challenging Gladwell. However, the way I read the 10,000 hours was, in a word, obsession. The outliers were absolutely obsessed with their craft, skill, idea, etc that brought them amazing success. Also, the examples you give are very heavily slanted to corporate behavior over the individual's own effort and focus. 10,000 hours is a great point of reference for the amount of work anybody has to put in for success. However 'speed' is too abstract... It's not actionable, measurable, or time bound, at least not in the same way the 10,000 hours principle is. It isn't really teachable either to a generation that is consumed with speed (especially of access and convinience) but do not have the foundational skills of discipline and practice which are pillars to personal success.

My brain just got titilated

special

but how to increase the speed vusi!!!!??

I know people who put in far greater than 10,000 hours at the casino and they’ve become great at getting closer to bankruptcy

That is just full time for just one year.

Very challenging! Anyone out for some pizza?

I guess it is a strategic approach to challenge theories of others, my issue is that you are picky on what Malcolm spoke about to push your point. From the original work of cognitive psychologist Prof Anders Ericsson, it is made clear that: the 10k hours is only an average; and it is not more of the same thing, it is keeping up with changes in the field, including entrance, to get better against competition. Another thing, to simply exist for more than 10k is excluded from the theory - example about Kodak is irrelevant. They lost track of the industry's trajectory. Anyway, good attempt to make a point about new entrance toppling over giants. If you have not read Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins, please read. The idea of speed is flawed in the long term - sustainability of the business. Another book is Angela Duckworth's Grit.

you can be good at bad things... although it may take less than 10K hours :D

Quite simplistic reasoning I would say. Your argument is flawed in assuming that the 10,000 hours do not include practicing how to be adaptable/creative. Both skills that are learnable. Secondly, the issue of speed vs time. Of course if you learn faster then you don't need 10000 hours. Increasing intensity of learning, quicker access to information (internet), mentors etc all can reduce the speed with which to reduce time required to acquire a skill. But this doesn't mean that "Malcom got it wrong". He actually addresses the issue mentioning extra gifted people like Beethoven who roughly got it in 8yrs (80,000hrs approx).

Dude it took 6 mins for you to simply introduce that 6 mins is more important. Where's the speed vele?

David Grace

Unless you have practiced something for 10 thousand hours, you can't say anything because other than that it's just personal opinion.,.

Whilst this is a great argument, the book talks of many other factors that affect success like luck and timing etc.

This Theory is confirmed by the career of C. Ronaldo !, However, the speed element can not be applied to the sporting world.

Yes it applies to business and no you misunderstood his point: Let us look at the Bill Gates example; he started learning about programming and software development in high-school which eventually led to him dropping out of tertiary. My question, was Bill Gate one dimensional in his thinking? In other words did he not develop beyond the initial 10 000 hours? The 10 000 hours was the base of Bill Gate's success and its important to acknowledge; had he not done those hours he would never have been the great entrepreneur we know him to be now think of it more as his Research and Development phase without R&D you don't often get a great end product he didn't certainly imply the intial 10 000 hours should be taken as the alpha & omega of being in business, ofcourse business changes at rapid pace in modern times if there's new technology that affects how you do business for example eCommerce is a huge consideration for any modern business you will have to do research and development to factor in these new requirements of the times but in the case of Microsoft they still haven't lost their core of software programming despite having a lot of new modern product offerings if you take the 10 000 hours as the base you will understand the point he was making hence I disagree with your line of thinking on this one.

VELOCITY

i don't agree with that... speed only works if you pick up the fundamentals in the shortest amount of time.. who's to say someone doesn't learn too quickly and miss fundamentals out.

It also doesn't account for genetics.

Your missing out transferable skills. Even if the playing field has changed, you're going to pick up more techniques, processes and insight from the time spent rather than doing a slapped together job with a limited skill set.

SMART+N!GGA=SMIGGA

So..... basically spend my 10,000 hours learning how not to spend 10,000 hours on anything? did he spend 10,000 hours crafting this message? lol