Peak

Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

By: Robert Pool, Anders Ericsson

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

From the world's reigning expert on expertise comes a powerful new approach to mastering almost any skill.

Have you ever wanted to learn a language or pick up an instrument, only to become too daunted by the task at hand? Expert performance guru Anders Ericsson has made a career of studying chess champions, violin virtuosos, star athletes, and memory mavens. Peak condenses three decades of original research to introduce an incredibly powerful approach to learning that is fundamentally different from the way people traditionally think about acquiring a skill.

Ericsson's findings have been lauded and debated but never properly explained. So the idea of expertise still intimidates us - we believe we need innate talent to excel or think excelling seems prohibitively difficult.

Peak belies both of these notions, proving that almost all of us have the seeds of excellence within us - it's just a question of nurturing them by reducing expertise to a discrete series of attainable practices. Peak offers invaluable, often counterintuitive advice on setting goals, getting feedback, identifying patterns, and motivating yourself. Whether you want to stand out at work or help your kid achieve academic goals, Ericsson's revolutionary methods will show you how to master nearly anything.

©2016 K. Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Enlightening

As a physics teacher and amateur violinist I found the information and conclusions of the book very convincing and motivating. Many "expert" teachers will not be comfortable with the results, but evidence is evidence!

Interesting read/listen, worth the credit spent

This is a really well-researched academic-style book covering the concept of deliberate practice. This is overall a very good book and is well organized. The author is clearly an expert in this field and it shows. The book is dense and I ended up both listening and reading it (purchased both with no regrets) in order to better absorb the content.

However, this book does leave a few spots for critique which keep it out of a 5-star rating for this reviewer:

1. The author has an apparent animosity towards Malcolm Gladwell (and specifically Outliers). While I have no particular affinity for Gladwell or his book, the tone shift in writing during the periodic condescension of Outliers is both jarring and off putting.

2. The concept of deliberate practice is an extreme obsession-like focus on process centered feedback-generative improvement. I have no doubt that this works but this approach is not feasible for most working adults with jobs and full lives, who want to better themselves in a sustainable way.

3. This extreme one-minded approach to improvement flies in the face of a more experiential wholistic approach to growth, as outlined by Galloway’s Inner Game. In our current culture of rampant anxiety and self doubt, I would advocate more for a more mindful approach to growth as outlined by Galloway, as opposed to this work. In addition, Pool and Ericsson do not discuss the fact that deliberate practice may lead to a mentality of over thinking during performance and perhaps a net underperformance based on an individual being stuck in their head, rather than playing freely. Does deliberate practice result in more cases of the “yips” or “choking”?

4. Much of the concept of deliberate practice mirrors the training of a modern machine learning convoluted neural network. Which was both amusing and also somewhat sad. Are we now at the point where we are trying to turn the human brain into an AI model. What has happened to organic intelligence? This last point is more of a musing rather than a meaningful critique.

Very Good

Outstanding book and I will be buying this book in print for various people that I know and it will likely be one of those books I give away from time to time for years to come.

The only flaw is the leap that Ericsson takes towards the end when he makes such heavy implications towards the age old myth of people as tabula rasa. If we take 100 people at random and they all apply the same degree of deliberate practice, we will not have 100 people of exactly equal ability or skill at the end of the process. Sure, we are capable of dramatic improvements in just about any endeavor but we are not all ultimately capable of the same heights of performance.

Ericsson basically says "Because science proves X amount of deliberate practice always produces X amount of improvement - science also proves we are all capable of the same levels of performance." (Excepting for certain physical limitations in sports, etc.) This assertion is simply wrong and as a scientist he knows the leap is illogical.

Left Me Feeling Inspired

The book tells a very hopeful story about how to achieve mastery of skills using deliberate practice. This was a very inspiring read, as it makes mastery accessible to the masses. Didn’t want the book to end.

New approach to learning

The takeaway message is eye opening, gives great perspective on how I and others can learn effectively. It also shows that very few people are naturally talented, rather it is the hours of deliberate practice that make a difference.

Part 1 of a 2 part book

A thorough analysis of what makes the best the best. Not only how they do it but what they do to be the best.

Learned a lot

It introduced a very important concept:mental representation, which is the ability to tell what's happening and what will be happening.

Best Book I Have Ever Read.

This is the single greatest book I have ever read. It fundamentally changed the way I saw the world and myself. I consider it a must-read for every single person in the world!

Best book I have read on human potential.

I've read much on the subjects of learning and elite performance. This book is by far the most no-nonsense, no hype, but relevant, actionable book I have read. Thank you to the author.

I wish my parents knew concepts described in this book

I wish my parents knew concepts described in this book. Must read if u a parent.