Is Greatness Born or Made?

How intriguing this question has been asked for thousands of years and yet the debate continues. You know what that means, don’t you? That greatness is both born and made. Otherwise, we’d have a consensus and be able to quote specifically the scientific result. But no matter how scientists look at the question of whether greatness is born or made, the results pan out time and again that some people are born with the ability to achieve greatness due to their overwhelming genius – and some people work hard to become great due to their overwhelming desire to achieve. And then it gets complicated…

What about 10,000 hours to greatness?

As it turns out, experience (life, business, general) matters in becoming great – at anything. It's the repetitive skill building, however, that’s been studied the Have you ever thought about tiny little things called interests and available opportunities? The skills and environment around us can actually make a difference. One blogger at Work in Bloom says it nicely, “So what’s my answer to whether greatness is born or made? Both! We are born great and then must accept the challenge to walk life’s journey as our unique selves to become that much greater.” Rather than trying to gain a talent or skill you admire in someone else, look at your personality and interests. You naturally have an interest in something and abilities in some areas. Building on your strengths will move you much closer to becoming great than trying to copy someone else’s strengths.

How to achieve greatness

Becoming great isn’t easy, but it is simple. Begin to discover your innate talents and abilities. You probably already know at least some of them. Explore your personal strengths and then grow them through consistent and deliberate practice. You’ll become great at what you practice because of an internal fascination and desire to get good at it. The Talent Code takes a deep look at talent and deep, driven practice to develop greatness. If you’d like more help, the Lee Group’s consultants can help you with specific ideas.