Audiobooks by Geoff Colvin

Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else

"Excellent."-The Wall Street Journal Since its publication ten years ago, businesspeople, investors, doctors, parents, students, athletes, and musicians at every level have adopted the maxims of Talent Is Overrated to get better at what they're passionate about. Now this classic has been updated and revised with new research and takeaways to help anyone achieve even greater performance.   Why are certain people so incredibly great at what they do? Most of us think we know the answer-but we're almost always wrong. That's important, because if we're wrong on this crucial question, then we have zero chance of getting significantly better at anything we care about. Happily, the real source of great performance is no longer a mystery. Bringing together extensive scientific research, bestselling author Geoff Colvin shows where we go wrong and what actually makes world-class performers so remarkable. It isn't specific, innate talent, nor is it plain old hard work. It's a very specific type of work that anyone can do-but most people don't. What's more, the principles of great performance apply to virtually any activity that matters to you. Readers worldwide have been inspired by this book's liberating message: You don't need a one-in-a-million natural gift. Better performance, and maybe even world-class performance, is closer than you think.

Geoff Colvin (Author), Geoff Colvin (Narrator)

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Humans Are Underrated: What High Achievers Know that Brilliant Machines Never Will

As technology races ahead, what will people do better than computers? What hope will there be for us when computers can drive cars better than humans, predict Supreme Court decisions better than legal experts, identify faces, scurry helpfully around offices and factories, even perform some surgeries, all faster, more reliably, and less expensively than people? It's easy to imagine a nightmare scenario in which computers simply take over most of the tasks that people now get paid to do. While we'll still need high-level decision makers and computer developers, those tasks won't keep most working-age people employed or allow their living standard to rise. The unavoidable question-will millions of people lose out, unable to best the machine?-is increasingly dominating business, education, economics, and policy. The bestselling author of Talent Is Overrated explains how the skills the economy values are changing in historic ways. The abilities that will prove most essential to our success are no longer the technical, classroom-taught left-brain skills that economic advances have demanded from workers in the past. Instead, our greatest advantage lies in what we humans are most powerfully driven to do for and with one another, arising from our deepest, most essentially human abilities-empathy, creativity, social sensitivity, storytelling, humor, building relationships, and expressing ourselves with greater power than logic can ever achieve. This is how we create durable value that is not easily replicated by technology-because we're hardwired to want it from humans. These high-value skills create tremendous competitive advantage-more devoted customers, stronger cultures, breakthrough ideas, and more effective teams. And while many of us regard these abilities as innate traits-"he's a real people person," "she's naturally creative"-it turns out they can all be developed. They're already being developed in a range of far-sighted organizations, such as:

Geoff Colvin (Author), Geoff Colvin (Narrator)

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The Upside of the Downturn: Ten Management Strategies to Prevail in the Recession and Thrive in the

As this historic downturn continues, managers are struggling to maintain profits, respond to customers, and lead their people. The old rules no longer apply. But according to Geoff Colvin, one of America's most respected business journalists, even the scariest recession has an upside. Savvy managers can take practical steps to prevail now and come out stronger when the downturn ends. Based on extensive interviews with global executives and other experts, Colvin synthesizes the ten most important guidelines for tough times. Among them: · Reevaluate people. Mass layoffs are tempting, but great companies often find alternatives. And if your competitors fire their best people, grab them. · Keep investing in your core business. It might make sense to actually increase some spending. · Don't rush to cut prices. The long-term danger often outweighs the short-term boost. Colvin tells stories of companies that have already adopted these strategies, with encouraging results.

Geoff Colvin (Author), Sean Pratt (Narrator)

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