The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Michael Masterson’

Are you trying to master a subject? If you answered yes, mastering any subject matter takes a commitment of anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 hours (Read the article Did Malcolm Gladwell Rip Me Off? by Michael Masterson), depending on which statistics you decide to believe. To begin the process of mastering a subject, answer the questions below. While you are reading the books identified at the library, record the information in the Subject Mastery Template. This information is taken from The Invisible Mentor Toolkit.

How to Read to Master a Subject

1. Describe the specific knowledge that you are trying to acquire
2. On a blank sheet of paper do a brain dump for 15 minutes, writing down as much as you know about the topic
3. List the pioneers and subject matter experts in the field. Have they written any books on the subject?
4. Compile a bibliography of books that could potentially help to master the subject?
   1. List books written by pioneers and subject matter experts
   2. Check the bibliography of books written by pioneers and subject matter experts
   3. Ask colleagues for book recommendations
   4. Check the bibliography of scholarly journals and books on the topic
   5. Search the catalogues, or ask a librarian at a good reference library to find titles
5. Spend half a day at the library inspecting[1]the books listed in the compiled bibliography to:
   1. Whittle down the number of titles on the list
   2. Get a cursory understanding of the topic
   3. Determine which  books say anything important about the topic of interest
6. With a cursory understanding of the subject:
   1. Identify the 10 core concepts/ideas that form the basis of the subject
   2. Clarify the information that you are seeking. Distinguish between ‘must know’ and ‘nice to know’
   3. How will you know when you have found the answers?
7. Inspect the books identified as relevant
   1. Find the most relevant passages and record page numbers
   2. By author, record the information that covers each of the 10 core concepts/ideas (Refer to the Subject Mastery Template)
8. Read and analyze all the information gathered
   1. Distill the information germane to the subject
   2. Compare and contrast the information on each of the 10 core concepts/ideas
   3. Interpret the 10 core concepts/ideas
   4. Concentrate on understanding the core concepts/ideas
9. Search online for a site that offer tests on the subject and take the test

[1] Refer to How To Read A Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading to find out how to quickly inspect a book.

Subject Mastery Template

Title of the Book/Author

Why is Author Qualified to Answer?

Key Concept 1

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 2

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 3

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 4

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 5

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept6

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept7

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept8

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept9

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept10

Documentation/Page Found

Conclusions by Authors

What are the Weaknesses of the Authors’ Arguments, Evidence and Conclusions?

Special Notes

And whatever you learn, be sure to teach it to others so that you can cement the information into your memory. Let me know what you think about the questions.  I am committed to assist you on your professional development journey. If there are additional ways that I may be of service please let me know.

Click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN. I can assist you with that too. Visit my sales page for resources such as The Invisible Mentor Toolkit to assist you in acquiring wisdom from a distance. For free white papers click here.

Related Articles

The Precursor to How to Master a Subject
How to Fill the Information Gap
How to Fill the Information Gap Part Two
How to Fill the Information Gap (when you don’t know there is a gap) Part Three

Photo Credit: Google via Apture

This  post was inspired by a fascinating story I read in The Skinny On Success: Why Not You? by Jim Randel. The author relates a story in Geoff Covin’s book, Talent is Overrated. In the book, Hungarian psychologist Laszlo Polgar wanted to test if talent was born or made. He ran an ad for a wife, but the twist is that their children would be raised to be champions in a field unrelated to their parents’, that neither had an aptitude for.

Schoolteacher Klara responded to the ad and agreed to the terms. Laszlo and Klara decided they would attempt to create chess champions since neither were accomplished in the game. They had three girls, Zsuzsa, Zsófia, and Judit and at that time it was the general belief that women didn’t  have what it took to excel at chess. The couple home schooled their daughters,  immersing them in intensive chess training.

In no time, the girls were competing in the game. The first daughter became the first chess grand master ever. The second daughter became the youngest grand master ever, male or female. And the third daughter is currently the number 1 ranked female player. According to Wikipedia, “Only 11 out of the world’s about 950 grandmasters [are female].”

Is this conclusive evidence that talent is made, not born? What are your thoughts? Is talent overrated?

Here is an excerpt from Did Malcolm Gladwell Rip Me Off? By Michael Masterson in Early to Rise Ezine.

“There are four levels of proficiency in any valuable skill – incompetence, competence, mastery, and virtuosity.

• To get past incompetence, you must spend about 1,000 hours practicing the skill you eventually want to master.
• After putting in about 1,000 hours, you will be competent. To achieve mastery, you will have to continue to practice that skill for a total of 5,000 hours.
• Virtuosity is extremely rare. You can’t get it simply by practicing. You must also have a natural gift. Even then, you must practice at least 10,000 hours to achieve it.

Michael Jordan was a virtuoso basketball player. Mozart was a virtuoso composer. Warren Buffett has been a virtuoso investor. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you must become a virtuoso. You can achieve greatness and make a fortune by becoming a master of your chosen skill.”

If talent is made and not born, what are the implications for you? Are you interested in mastering a skill? Are you prepared to practice deliberately? Please chime in by commenting. Keep the conversation flowing. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN, I can assist you with that too.

Related Articles

The Grandmaster Experiment

Home-Grown Grandmasters; Laszlo Polgar’s Daughters Were Pawns in an Experiment That Changed the Chess World

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Photo Credit:  Flickr via Apture