Many of you are familiar with the 10,000-Hour-Rule that was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his book “Outliers.” If you are not, it goes like this. The 10,000-Hour Rule says that achieving world-class expertise in any skill requires approximately 10,000 hours of dedicated practice. That’s not to say that a person needs 10,000 hours of practice to complete a task. It does say that 10,000 hours are needed to master it.
To be fair, sometimes you don’t need a master. But, if you have a choice between someone who is a newbie and someone who is an expert, which one will you choose to do your electrical work, your plumbing, your concrete install?
The choice also comes down to cost, as many of us are cost-conscious (cheap) and want a deal. The newbies are sometimes cheaper. But, as the saying goes, we often get what we pay for.
As with most things in life, we also need to look in the mirror when we consider the 10,000-Hour-Rule. We sometimes think we can jump into a new job, a new hobby or a new endeavor of any sort and become an expert overnight. If we do the math, 10,000 hours translates to about five years of 40 hours per week. That may sound like forever to a teenager, but those who have multiple decades behind them recognize that it really does take about five years to truly figure things out.
Meanwhile, the 10,000-Hour-Rule has been criticized and debunked by some, as “research” indicates that the quality of practice is more important than the quantity of hours spent. I am guessing that this “research” was completed by those who have not put 10,000 hours into anything, but the idea still has some merit. Practice does not make perfect, but perfect practice certainly gets us closer.
So, when you are hiring someone to complete a job or seeking advice from an expert, it is certainly fair to ask how many hours of experience the person has. And, if you are a person with 10,000 hours of expertise, it is a benefit worth pointing out.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the 10,000-Hour-Rule? Send me a note and let me know.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 |
