Stephen King has been described as the “King of Horror” writing. And to say he has worked hard is an understatement. King has published an incredible 65+ novels, written at least two hundred short stories and produced, written and acted in numerous television shows and movies. All told, King’s books have sold more than 350 million copies, making him the classic “rags to riches” success story (he was raised, for the most part, in a single parent household by his financially struggling mother).
Dr. K. A. Ericsson, a Swedish psychologist who specialized in studying human performance, established through extensive research that hard work – he coined the phrase “deliberate practice” - is critical to high performance and success. Ericsson asserted that those who continually push themselves to reach targets that are just beyond their current capabilities (and thus requires maximum effort) achieve more success than those who don’t. He also pointed out that successful people recognize pushing their performance boundaries is not always an enjoyable task. Perhaps this concept is well worth exploring with senior candidates in an interview process.
Born exactly 76 years ago this month, King’s net worth of about $400 million USD may well be due, in part, to talent. But it does appear that “deliberate practice” played a significant role in his achievements as well. And it seems that his wife might have also had a hand in King developing deliberate practice. She had to dig his first novel, “Carrie,” out of the garbage (he threw it away because he was not happy with it) and encourage him to finish it. He did, indeed, get the novel completed and published – a pivotal point in launching his career almost fifty years ago. As an aside, King still uses paper and pen to write rather than a computer!
Perform Better!
