Experts play a critical role in our business landscape today. Leaders must seek their advice when solving complex problems to create and maintain a competitive edge. However, one of the current challenges business leaders face is a shortage of these experts, with numerous expert roles being hard to fill. As hiring them from the market will become more difficult, companies will need to learn how to quickly develop experts inside their organizations.
Let us learn from history on how to develop Grandmasters
Laszlo Polgar is a Hungarian chess teacher/coach and author known for his unconventional approach to parenting. His three daughters, Susan, Sofia, and Judit, all became chess grandmasters at an incredibly early age, with Judit becoming the youngest grandmaster in history at just 15 years old.
Polgar believed that geniuses are not born but made through deliberate practice and hard work. He argued in his book Bring Up Genius that anyone could become a genius in any field if they put in enough effort and had the right training.
To test his theory, Polgar decided to experiment on his own children. He and his wife Klara, who is also a teacher, decided to home-school their daughters and focus all their efforts on chess.
Creating Grandmasters requires excellence and dedication
Polgar began teaching his daughters chess when they were just toddlers, and he employed a rigorous training regimen that included hours of practice every day. He also emphasized the importance of discipline and dedication, and he pushed his daughters to always strive for excellence.
Polgar’s approach to parenting was controversial, and many critics argued that he was putting too much pressure on his children and denying them a normal childhood. However, Polgar defended his methods, arguing that he was simply helping his daughters achieve their full potential.
Deliberate Practice Pays off
Polgar’s approach paid off, as all three of his daughters became world-class chess players. Susan Polgar became the first female grandmaster in history, while Judit Polgar became the youngest grandmaster ever and the only woman to defeat a reigning world champion in a tournament game.
Polgar’s success with his daughters has inspired many parents and educators around the world, and his methods have been studied and analysed by psychologists and educators alike.
One of the key components of Polgar’s approach was deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is a type of training that involves focused and intentional effort towards specific goals. It involves breaking down complex skills into smaller components, practicing them repeatedly, and seeking feedback and guidance from experts.
Polgar’s daughters practiced chess for hours every day, focusing on specific skills and strategies. They also played against other high-level players and analysed their games to identify areas for improvement.
Passion changes the game
Polgar also emphasized the importance of motivation and engagement. He believed that his daughters were more likely to succeed if they were passionate about their training and saw it as a source of fulfilment and personal growth.
Passion + Excellence + Deliberate Action = Genius
Polgar’s methods have also inspired educators and coaches in other fields, who have sought to apply his approach to other domains. The idea that anyone can become a genius with enough practice and effort is a powerful one, and challenges traditional notions of talent and ability.
Lessons we can apply to the business world
If we want to quickly develop experts, we need to a few things:
- Select experts that have passion and strive for excellence.
- Have your top experts’ mentor and provide feedback to more junior experts.
- Break down or deconstruct complex tasks into steps so others can rapidly learn them.
- Give experts challenging assignments so they keep growing.
