Matthew Syed

The illusion of talent arises because we only see a tiny proportion of the work that goes into the construction of virtuosity. If we were to examine the incalculable hours of practice, the thousands of baby steps taken by world-class performers to get to the top, the skills would not seem quite so mystical, or so inborn.

Beckham concurs. ‘My secret is practice,’ he said. ‘I have always believed that if you want to achieve anything special in life you have to work, work, and then work some more.’

A progressive attitude to failure turns out to be a cornerstone of success for any institution.

Learning from mistakes is not a drain on resources; it is the most effective way of safeguarding resources—and lives.

Every error, every flaw, every failure, however small, is a marginal gain in disguise. This information is regarded not as a threat but as an opportunity.

It is by testing our ideas, subjecting them to failure, that we set the stage for growth.

Systems that do not engage with failure struggle to learn.

Learning from failure expresses a profound moral purpose. It is about saving, sustaining and enhancing human life.

Aversion to failure is the single largest obstacle to creative change, not just in business but beyond.

If valid learning can be achieved through iteration at a fast pace and low cost, it is crazy to pass up the opportunity. Success, at the level of the individual as well as at the level of the system, will increasingly hinge on adaptability. In other words, learning from failure.

The talent theory of expertise is not merely flawed in theory; it is insidious in practice, robbing individuals and institutions of the motivation to change themselves and society.

But there is a catch: you can purchase access to this prime neural real estate only by building up a bank deposit of thousands of hours of purposeful practice. That, if you like, is the price of excellence.

Excellence is about stepping outside the comfort zone, training with a spirit of endeavor, and accepting the inevitability of trials and tribulations. Progress is built, in effect, upon the foundations of necessary failure. That is the essential paradox of expert performance.