num_pages: 288
description: NATIONAL BESTSELLERFor readers of Atomic Habits  Deep Work  and Peak comes a game-changing approach to mastering new skills and succeeding faster.For generations weve been taught there are two ways to succeedeither from talent or practice. In Decoding Greatness  award-winning social psychologist Ron Friedman illuminates a powerful third pathone that has quietly launched icons in a wide range of fields from artists writers and chefs to athletes inventors and reverse engineering.To reverse engineer is to look beyond what is evident on the surface and find a hidden structure. Its the ability to taste an intoxicating dish and deduce its recipe to listen to a beautiful song and discern its chord progression to watch a horror film and grasp its narrative arc.Using eye-opening examples of top performersfrom Agatha Christie to Andy Warhol Barack Obama to Serena Williamsand groundbreaking research on pattern recognition skill acquisition and creative genius Friedman reveals the staggering power of reverse engineering and teaches you how to harness this vital skill for yourself.Youll learn how to take apart models you admire pinpoint precisely what makes them work and apply that knowledge to develop novel ideas methods and products that are uniquely your own. Along the way youll meet the culinary detective who exposes top-secret recipes the burglar who can visit a bank and recreate its blueprints and the celebrated artist who reverse engineered his way to the top of his profession without any formal education.You dont have to be a genius to achieve greatness but you do need a method for getting there. Bursting with unforgettable stories and actionable strategies Decoding Greatness is an indispensable guide to learning from the best improving your skills and sparking breakthrough ideas.
language: English
title: Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success
publisher: Simon & Schuster