PERFORMANCE INSIGHTS FROM “RANGE” BY DAVID EPSTEIN
In this fascinating book, Epstein argues for delayed specialisation: The idea of starting “broad” and then progressing towards specialism.
To set the scene, he compares Tiger Woods to Roger Federer; two phenomenal sportsmen but with starkly different entries into their respective sports.
Woods is pure golf talent. He is laser-focused on beating Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 golf majors, and he has expressed this ambition from the age of just three! Everything he did as a youngster was about golf. He is the embodiment of the “head-start” concept. Federer on the other hand tried a wide range of sports and only gravitated towards tennis as a teenager. Both became the best in their respective sports. So, which is the best approach? Epstein argues for the Federer route, he argues for range.
Malcolm Gladwell popularised the 10,000 hour rule in his book Outliers. This rule is about deliberate practice. Epstein repeats one of the best known examples of success through the accrual of deliberate focus; the Polgar sisters – chess prodigies from Hungary. Their fame in the chess world is legendary, but Epstein challenges whether golf or chess is indeed representative of life. He even cites experts in various fields who have had difficulty adapting to new rules in their own specialism because they were too set in their thinking.
Epstein’s research shows that nationally recognised scientists tend to have a variety of interests. Creative achievers tend to have broad interests too; Steve Jobs is referenced as a case in point. In other words, the best in their fields tend to have range.
In 1979 a man called Chris Connolly started a psychology consultancy in the UK to help high achievers perform at their best. Connolly conducted a PhD which looked at specialism versus range and which was best. He found that travelling on an “eight lane highway rather than down a single-lane, one-way street” was significant in avoiding “cognitive entrenchment”. Epstein notes that high achievers tend to employ a “circuit-breaker” to interrupt and disrupt set thinking, and to avoid the same old patterns. Range can actually be a “life hack”.
The author also builds on some research done by James Flynn, a psychologist from New Zealand. Flynn points to enormous IQ gains from one generation to the next in the 20th century, and the advantage we have over our ancestors due to our ability to use the tools at our disposal to make sense of complexity and to join more dots thanks to technology. Remote villagers in pre-modern times failed at learning without experience; they struggled to think outside the box. It is the ability to apply new ideas and to work across contexts which accelerates the learning curve. It makes sense that broad training is necessary in order to apply broad knowledge. Diversity is a differentiator as emphasised by Matthew Syed in his book Rebel Ideas.
Enrico Fermi, an Italian (later naturalised American) physicist and the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor is referenced by Epstein as a model of the fact that detailed prior knowledge is arguably less important than a way of thinking. He is the inspiration for the “Fairme estimation” which is a clever way to rapidly estimate accurate information from enormous numbers.
Epstein has advice for parents too. Creative children are low on prior restraint. If you are self taught, by definition you experiment more. Trying to find solutions is a great way to learn. Breadth of training and education predicts breadth of transfer. It is the essence of creativity. Learners become better at applying their knowledge to a situation they have never seen before. Unfortunately the kids “head-start” concept is more appealing in the short term because results for the specific focus come fast, whereas deep learning is slow. The impact of broad learning on future performance can be difficult or impossible to see when the children are young.
A historical insight I found amusing is that apparently Julius Caesar was inspired by how much Alexander the Great had achieved in his short life. As we know, Caesar went on to achieve fame himself.
A concept I found interesting is “Far” transfer which Epstein describes as a mode of broad thinking. Far transfer occurs when the new situation is very different from that in which learning occurred. Transfer occurs when performing the skill exactly as learned but in a new situation. It is the transfer of knowledge between contexts which seem alien to each other such as a chess player applying basic strategies to investment practices or policies.
Analogical thinking is another intriguing concept. It is defined as a specific way of thinking, based on the idea that because two or more things are similar in some respects, they are probably also similar in some further respect. It is a powerful tool for solving wicked problems, and Kepler was an analogy addict as he grappled with Copernican astronomy. This type of thinking applies when thinking across broad domains and when we can’t fall back on previous experience. An example is given of finding a solution to targeted radiation for the treatment of cancer; multiple points of attack in a military and fire-fighting context inspired an analogous solution for the treatment of a tumour.
Vincent Van Gogh is mentioned as a perfect example of range. He tested many options through his life and then moved on, he “zig-zagged” from one experience to another. Epstein notes that he would have scored low on the grit scale due to the lack of perseverance on each option, but ultimately he still became one of the most famous artists in the world.
Epstein references a study of German football right after Germany won the 2014 World Cup. The study concluded that, compared to lesser players, members of the national team did not participate in more organized football than amateur-league players until age twenty-two or later. They spent more of their childhood and adolescence playing non-organised football while also dabbling in other sports. This is interesting because it challenges the assumption that players of that calibre must have specialised from a very young age.
There are scores of gold-nuggets in this excellent book. I have picked out only a handful. I can certainly recommend it for learning new perspectives on achieving success.
Epstein’s “one sentence of advice” for aspirant achievers and high performers, resulted in this book (Range). His summary includes these great reminders: Journeys from A to B are never a straight line (Steve Jobs). Don’t feel behind no matter how old you are (Julius Caesar who was inspired by Alexander the Great). No experience is wasted (Roger Federer). Mental meandering is important (Johannes Kepler). The path of experimentation is disorderly but necessary (Van Gogh). Everyone progresses at a different rate (children). There is nothing wrong with specialisation, but head-starts are over rated (German Football Team).
