The End of Average: How to Succeed in a World That Values Sameness - Couverture souple

Rose, Todd

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0241263514 ISBN 13 : 9780241263518

Editeur : Allen Lane, 2016

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

In this ground-breaking book perfect for readers of The Power of Habit and Quiet, Harvard scientist Todd Rose shows how our one-size-fits-all world is actually one-size-fits-none.

Each of us knows we’re different. We’re a little taller or shorter than the average, our salary is a bit higher or lower than the average, and we wonder about who it is that is buying the average-priced home. All around us, we think, are the average people—with the average height, the average salary and the average house.

But the average doesn’t just influence how we see ourselves—our entire social system has been built around this average-size-fits-all model. Schools are designed for the average student. Healthcare is designed for the average patient. Employers try to fill average job descriptions with employees on an average career trajectory. Our government implements programs and initiatives to serve the average person. For more than a century, we’ve believed that the best way to run our institutions is by focusing on the average person. But when you actually drill down into the numbers, you find an amazing fact: no one is average—which means that our society built for everyone is actually serving no one.

In the 1950s, the American Air Force found itself with a massive problem—performance in expensive, custom-made planes was suffering terribly, with crashes peaking at seventeen in a single day. Since the state-of-the-art planes they were flying had been meticulously crafted to fit the average pilot, pilot error was assumed to be at fault. Until, that is, the Air Force investigated just how many of their pilots were actually average. The shocking answer: out of thousands of active-duty ?pilots, exactly zero were average. Not one. This discovery led to simple solutions (like adjustable seats) that dramatically reduced accidents, improved performance, and expanded the pool of potential pilots. It also led to a huge change in thinking: planes didn’t need to be designed for everyone—they needed to be designed so they could adapt to suit the individual flying them.

The End of Average shows how success lies in customizing to our individual needs in all aspects of our lives, from the way we mark tests to the medical treatment we receive. Using principles from The Science of the Individual, it shows how we can break down the average to create individualized success that benefits everyone in the long run. It’s time we stopped settling for average, and in The End of Average, Todd Rose will show you how.

Revue de presse :

“Fascinating, engaging, and practical. Todd Rose dispels the myth that our success can be divined by a simple number or average, whether a grade, a score in a standardized test, or a ranking at work. The End of Average will help everyone . . . live up to their potential.” (Dan Heath, coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive)

“Todd Rose shows that everything we think we know about ‘average’ performance is wrong. In fact, our one-dimensional understanding of achievement-our search for the average score, average grade, average talent-has seriously underestimated human potential. This book is readable, enlightening, and way above average.” (Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell Is Human and Drive)

“Rose will change the way you see culture, school, work and everyone around you. Taylorism is officially dead. With compelling stories and an engaging style, he transforms our understanding of who we are and what’s important.” (Seth Godin, author of We Are All Weird and Stop Stealing Dreams)

“Fascinating, engaging, and practical. Todd Rose dispels the myth that our success can be divined by a simple number or average, whether a grade, a score in a standardized test, or a ranking at work. The End of Average will help everyone ... live up to their potential.” (Amy Cuddy, professor at Harvard Business School, and author of Presence)

“Todd Rose’s thought-provoking book challenges the explanatory power of the everyday term ‘average,’ opening our minds to new ways of conceptualizing human variation and human potentials.” (Howard Gardner, author of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed)

“Todd Rose has achieved a rare feat: he is both provocative and right. He overturns our fundamental assumptions about talent, and offers an empowering way to rethink the world. With exciting stories, fresh data, and bold ideas, this book is far better than average.” (Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals)

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Allen Lane
• Date d'édition: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0241263514
• ISBN 13: 9780241263518
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 256