Do you want to make something memorable? What if you could recreate what you admire? What’s the surest road to success?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer<\/a> Success<\/em>, Ron Friedman provides a step-by-step process to help you succeed. The key is to find work you admire, take it apart to see how it\u2019s made, and then create your own version of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep reading for an overview of this book that will inspire you, whether you\u2019re an artist looking to hone your craft or an entrepreneur hunting for the next big business idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the secret to elite performance and creative innovation? According to performance expert Ron Friedman, it\u2019s not about being talented or working hard\u2014it\u2019s about strategically learning from the greats<\/a> in your field through the process of reverse engineering<\/em>. By doing so, he says, you\u2019ll spark original ideas<\/a>, improve your skills<\/a>, and ultimately find creative success. This is the premise of his book, Decoding Greatness<\/em><\/a>: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman is a psychologist, consultant, speaker, and author who specializes in the psychology of workplace performance. His first book, The Best Place to Work<\/em><\/a>, explores how leaders can boost innovation, productivity, and worker happiness. In Decoding Greatness<\/em>, Friedman analyzes top performers ranging from Steve Jobs to Agatha Christie to Roger Federer to show how readers can borrow the same techniques that these icons used to achieve greatness. Friedman argues that whether your goal is to get a show at an art gallery, win a marathon, or nail a big product pitch, his techniques can help you improve your performance and do great, memorable work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our overview is organized into three parts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Although Friedman presents reverse engineering as the book\u2019s central focus, only a little more than a third of the book focuses specifically on this topic. Friedman\u2019s main claim is that reverse engineering is a way to generate creative ideas<\/em>. The rest of the book discusses the techniques needed to execute and perfect these ideas\u2014and these techniques are more about practice and soliciting feedback than about reverse engineering per se. As the book itself does, we present reverse engineering as a way to generate ideas, and then we introduce separate techniques you can use to carry out those ideas.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman argues that doing great work isn\u2019t just about being talented or working hard\u2014it\u2019s about learning from the greats in your field by reverse engineering their creations. Reverse engineering<\/em> is the process of analyzing and reproducing existing work in order to enhance your skills and expand your creativity<\/strong>. Friedman explains that, while reverse engineering might feel<\/em> derivative (since you\u2019re borrowing from others), in the long term it actually makes you more creative because it builds your mental library of successful creative \u201crecipes\u201d and techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we\u2019ll explain how to reverse engineer works that you love. Then, we\u2019ll share Friedman\u2019s strategies for moving from copying and reproducing existing works to making creative contributions of your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman explains that reverse engineering is a matter of finding the underlying structures and formulas in your favorite works<\/strong>. To find these structures, he says, you should collect examples of work that you love and analyze it to learn how it was made. Friedman offers a variety of techniques you can use to analyze work that you admire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The simplest way to absorb the principles of great work is simply to copy it as closely as you can. By doing so, you\u2019ll start to notice the decisions that more experienced practitioners made, which gives you a wider palette to draw from in your own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another technique is to find the templates underlying your favorite works. To do so, Friedman suggests making a reverse outline<\/em> of a work you like in order to reveal the larger structure behind it. By doing so, you\u2019ll discover templates that you can follow when creating your own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of using a reverse outline to reveal the generic structure underlying your favorite works, you can also break a work down into a set of metrics that give you a statistical (rather than structural) target to aim for in your own creations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman notes that most people resist the idea of copying or even taking influence from existing work, fearing that doing so will limit creativity. However, he argues that thoughtful reverse engineering actually enhances your creativity. That\u2019s because, according to Friedman, successful creative ideas balance formula with novelty<\/strong>. If an idea is too familiar, it\u2019ll feel boring and derivative. But if it\u2019s too creative<\/em>\u2014if there\u2019s nothing your audience can immediately grasp\u2014it might be rejected for seeming crazy or unrelatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news, Friedman says, is that, when you\u2019re trying to be creative, your job isn\u2019t to come up with something wholly unique\u2014it\u2019s to take existing ideas and formulas and vary them until they feel fresh. He presents several approaches to doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to come up with a new idea is to combine two or more unrelated existing ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to combining disparate influences to create a new idea, you can also spark creativity by bringing together people with different perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities. For instance, when Apple was designing the graphic interface for the original Macintosh, the company hired Susan Kare\u2014whose background wasn\u2019t in technology but in fine arts\u2014to create the computer\u2019s typefaces and icons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to combining different ideas, Friedman says that you can also find and emphasize a less-noticed or underappreciated element of an existing idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way copying can lead to creativity, Friedman says, is that sometimes your attempts to copy or combine ideas fail in ways that lead you to new insights. In these cases, Friedman suggests that you embrace your imperfections<\/a> and build them into something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While reverse engineering can help you clear the initial hurdle of creativity\u2014generating ideas\u2014your next challenge will be building your skills enough to execute<\/em> those ideas to their full potential. In this section, we\u2019ll explore Friedman\u2019s strategies for improving your implementation, including how to practice<\/a> effectively, improve your performance by measuring it, and mitigate the risks you have to take to learn and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to get better at something, it makes sense that you\u2019d need to practice. But Friedman argues that it\u2019s easy to practice incorrectly or inefficiently\u2014so to avoid wasting your time and effort, he offers several guidelines for effective practice<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman argues that the most important aspect of effective practice is self-reflection<\/a><\/strong>. Keep track of your goals, the practice routines and performance strategies you employ to reach those goals, and your actual performance. Regularly review each of these elements with an active, critical eye to determine which strategies or approaches worked well and which didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman suggests that journaling is an especially good way to reflect on your practice<\/strong>. He specifically recommends five-year journals, which allow you to make entries for the same date for five consecutive years so that you can review where you were at specific points in the past. In the process, you have a chance to notice relevant patterns that might not be obvious on a day-to-day level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman also argues that for practice to be effective, it needs to be challenging\u2014it should push you past your current comfortable skill level. If practice is too easy or too repetitive, you stop paying attention<\/a> to what you\u2019re doing, which halts growth and can harm your performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Friedman stresses the importance of mixing up your practice so that you don\u2019t fall into routines. The problem, he says, is that if your practice regimen is the same every time, you get bored: Your brain checks out and you stop learning. To avoid this problem, find new ways to develop the same skills, or add new obstacles and challenges to keep things fresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to physical practice, Friedman recommends that you mentally rehearse<\/a> prior to your actual performance<\/strong>. To do so, he suggests imagining your performance as specifically as you can, including the time and place, the sensory details you expect to encounter, and the nuances of the behaviors you\u2019ll need to perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman argues that this kind of imagery can improve your actual performance in several ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman cautions that when using this kind of imagery, it\u2019s important to imagine your performance<\/em>, not your success<\/strong>\u2014in other words, imagine the specific behaviors you\u2019ll perform in the kitchen, not how good the food will taste or how proud you\u2019ll feel when serving your guests. He points to a study showing that visualizing success<\/a> actually makes your performance worse<\/em>. That\u2019s because when you imagine yourself succeeding, you get an emotional payoff that tricks your brain into thinking you have already<\/em> succeeded. This payoff lowers your motivation and makes you more complacent, which ultimately makes you less effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way Friedman says you can improve your performance is to set goals and then develop key metrics to help you track your progress<\/a> toward your goals<\/strong>. He explains that doing so encourages you to think critically about your goals and how to achieve<\/a> them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s because metrics force you to break down your larger goal into component steps, behaviors, or milestones. In turn, these milestones help you track your progress and also detect areas where your performance is lagging, which Friedman says allows you to take a strategic approach to improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman warns that if you do use metrics, you should be careful not to get too focused on metrics for metrics\u2019 sake<\/strong>. He explains that metrics are simplifications, and if you choose your metrics poorly, you might miss important aspects of your behavior or even let your pursuit of numbers distort your actual behaviors and thereby undermine your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting good at anything requires risk. Creativity and effective practice both require you to stretch yourself<\/a>, which means that sooner or later, you\u2019re bound to fail. Friedman explains that this kind of failure is a good thing\u2014it\u2019s how you learn\u2014but he also acknowledges that the possibility of failure can prevent<\/em> necessary risk-taking if the stakes are too high, such as when a failure might damage your reputation or your financial position. The answer, Friedman says, is to lower the stakes of failure by strategically mitigating your creative risks<\/a><\/strong> using the following strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A test audience lets you try out your new idea and get feedback from your intended audience while you\u2019re still figuring things out and the stakes are low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman suggests finding a way to sell your product<\/a> or service before you create it (such as by creating a prototype and taking a list of preorders). This technique helps you gauge how much demand there is before you invest your resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman suggests working under a pseudonym, stage name, or sub-brand while trying out new ideas. Doing so allows you to experiment without damaging your established reputation, confusing your audience, or creating false expectations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman recommends keeping a day job as a steady source of income that allows you to take more risks outside of work. But he also recommends getting creative in how you leverage your talents to make money. The more you spread yourself around, Friedman explains, the more you diffuse the risk associated with any one venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you work to grow your skills and expand your creative output, it\u2019s crucial to get feedback and guidance from others, but it\u2019s not always easy to do so. Friedman cautions that much of the time, feedback from others isn\u2019t that helpful, and similarly, even if you\u2019re lucky enough to consult with an expert in your field, you\u2019ll find that many experts make poor teachers and coaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we\u2019ll explain Friedman\u2019s reasoning for why that\u2019s the case and share his strategies for getting everything you can from feedback and expert opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman argues that most feedback is unhelpful because it\u2019s too vague, often taking the form of \u201cI liked it\u201d or \u201cI didn\u2019t like it,\u201d and it can easily swing between extremes of supportiveness or criticism. Instead, Friedman argues that good feedback needs to be specific and actionable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To elicit helpful feedback, Friedman recommends that you point your reviewer to specific aspects of the work that you\u2019re concerned about or deem critical<\/strong>. Similarly, Friedman recommends that you reframe critical feedback as steps for improvement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman points out that for feedback to be useful, you have to be receptive to it. That means not getting upset or defensive when you receive criticism<\/a>. Friedman offers two strategies to help with this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Friedman notes that if you\u2019re lucky enough to get a chance to work directly with experts in your field, they might not be as helpful as you\u2019d hope. He explains that experts often make poor teachers, trainers, and coaches<\/strong>. This is because they\u2019ve so internalized their knowledge and skills that when they perform, they do so instinctively\u2014which makes it hard for them to explain how<\/em> they do what they do. Moreover, Friedman says, experts typically can\u2019t remember (or imagine) what it\u2019s like to be a beginner and lack the skills and knowledge they have now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, if you have the chance to work with an expert, Friedman suggests that you make the most of their expertise by asking<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\nOverview of Decoding Greatness<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Part 1: Steal From the Greats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Reverse Engineer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Copy<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Find a Template<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Break It Into Metrics<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Turn Copying Into Creativity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Combine Unrelated Ideas<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Seek New Perspectives<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Bring a Background Element Forward<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Embrace Imperfect Copies<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Part 2: How to Get Good at What You Do<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Practice Effectively<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Reflect on Your Practice<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Challenge Yourself<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Imagine Your Performance Ahead of Time<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Improve Your Performance With Metrics<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Mitigate Risk When Trying New Things<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Strategy #1: Find a Test Audience <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Strategy #2: Sell Before You Create <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Strategy #3: Use an Alias<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Strategy #4: Diversify Your Career<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Part 3: Making the Most of Feedback and Expert Guidance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Get Useful Feedback<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How to Receive Feedback<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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How to Learn From Experts<\/h4>\n\n\n\n