Many of you have read Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers". For those who have not, I highly recommend it.

In Part One of the book, Gladwell analyzes people at the top of their professions (i.e. outliers) to see what makes them different from the masses. His research identified three common traits;

1) Outliers are not necessarily the smartest people (measured by IQ) but are "smart enough" to become experts in their field

2) Outliers take advantage of opportunities such as welcoming the mentorship of an expert

3) Outliers have high work ethic and continuously work at their craft

The work ethic trait really hit home with me. Gladwell determined that it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to master a craft. So if you want to be great at something (golf, computer programming, playing the guitar, etc.) it takes FIVE YEARS of full time work. The reason there are so few outliers is that most people are unwilling to make the investment needed to become great.

I thought about the top five percent of sales reps and sales managers I know. Each one is "smart enough" and has capitalized on opportunities. All are off the charts on work ethic. Not only did they "put in the time" early in their careers, but they work every day to get better, evolve, and stay relevant.

Many people today (young and old) expect success to come quickly. How can you determine if someone is willing to "pay the price" to become great?