Better All the Time: Article Analysis

James Surowiecki, the author of the article “Better all the time” issued in The New Yorker on 11/10/2014, talks about the big developments due to the focus on incremental gains. He also gives various synchronous examples in different fields from sports to manufacturing. He finally concludes the article stating, ‘High performance isn’t, ultimately, about running faster, throwing harder, or leaping farther. It’s about something much simpler: getting better at getting better.’ The four key points summarizing the article are as follows:

Continuous improvement is what leads to performance revolution. Author starts the article citing an example of the former L.A.Lakers player- Kermit Washington, whose continuous efforts of improving for a decade helped him become an All-star player. This example justifies that attitude plays an important role to initiate the focus on the incremental gains. The philosophical change from believing in ‘what you are is what you are’ to ‘what you are is what you make yourself into’ is the stepping stone to the continuous improvement process. Moreover, no doubt that the inherent ability matters, but it should be the base from where you ascend. As the author concludes, bettered process is ultimately about continuous improvements.

Importance of relentless focus on all aspects and the need for constant feedback. Article also mentions how to achieve improved performance. One of the key points playing vital role in improving the process is the scrutinizing all the small details of the process. Author cites the example of Chris Hoy, a British cyclist. Chris had a team of scientists, nutritionists and engineers who closely monitored his performance by tailoring every aspect of being the best cyclist. This included everything from a carefully designed diet, a workout schedule to practicing in extreme conditions to improve on the endurance. This example signifies the importance of improving every aspect of the process to achieve the best. Different tools have been deployed to measure the performance accurately. Since, you are not improving if you are not improving the right things, biometric sensors like GPS, heart rate monitor are used to give constant feedback to ensure not only performance parameters but also notify if the practice is on the right path.

Emphasis on systematic training and preparation. Training also plays a vital role in the performance development. Author mentions that training methods should be rational and data driven. Trainers today emphasize sports-specific training over generalized conditioning: if you are a baseball player, you work on rotational power, if you are a sprinter, on straight-line explosive power. Apart from this, the training methods are technology and data driven to enable obsessive scrutiny of every aspect of the training. Trainings are becoming increasingly personalized. Players just don’t have a single coach but an entire entourage to take care of everything from individual conditioning to developing skills.