07/17/2024
Book Recommendation:
Getting There: A Book of Mentors
By Gillian Zoe Segal
Background
In Getting There, author Gillian Zoe Segal interviews 30 leaders from diverse fields, exploring the insights and traits that enabled them to overcome failure on their path to success. These interviews reveal the unique qualities that helped them navigate challenges and achieve their personal and professional goals.
Insights
The book features candid insights from notable figures such as Warren Buffett, Anderson Cooper, Michael Bloomberg, Jillian Michaels, Matthew Weiner (creator of Mad Men), and renowned composer Hans Zimmer, among others. A recurring theme is that the journey to success is rarely without setbacks. Instead, it is often long and risky, contradicting the popular narrative of overnight success often perpetuated by social media.
For instance, Matthew Weiner, the acclaimed screenwriter of Mad Men, experienced unemployment and even stopped writing before landing his first job in Hollywood at age 32. This was after Weiner’s university professor told him that he lacked any talent for writing at all. This highlights the myth of the overnight sensation; the reality is that leaders do not simply wake up one day as great thinkers, artists, or experts in their fields.
This concept, which Segal refers to as "selective inference," suggests that society tends to attribute success to arbitrary factors or sheer luck, rather than recognizing the sustained effort and resilience involved.
Opinion
Getting There is a collection of inspiring stories about overcoming obstacles and persevering after failure. If you think you’re the only one who has failed or is struggling, this book is sure to change your perspective. It underscores the idea that true success is about the size of the fight in you, not the size of the challenge.
The stories in this book illustrate what can be described as the "iceberg effect" of success. We often see only the visible tip—the final success or the end product—while the majority of the hard work and perseverance remain hidden beneath the surface and ignored. Few people look below the surface, where the answers lie.
The truth is that there are no shortcuts to your goals. While feel-good success stories sell newspapers and grab headlines, Getting There focuses and details on the less visible 90 percent of effort and determination that leads to those headline-worthy achievements.
