In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell cleverly dispels many notions that make up popular wisdom. Being in the perceived “better” situation may not turn out to be advantageous in the end. Here he suggests that being a weak student at a prestigious university is not as compelling as being the top student at an average institution. Gladwell draws on other examples from education concerning class size and the idea of a big fish in a little pond. The unexpected approach forced errors and turnovers on the part of the more experienced team so the underdogs could score points more easily. We learn of another underdog example when the author tells the story of how a brand new girls’ basketball team with an inexperienced coach continuously outwits the larger, more established teams by using the full court press, a less popular technique at the time. The outcome reminds us that looks may be deceiving. David was small in stature but instead of fearing Goliath’s larger size, David used his intelligence as a powerful asset to win in an unexpected way. Gladwell uses a variety of examples that apply the lessons from the original David and Goliath story.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |