Outliers in the Caribbean context

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Luke 6:38

In his thought-provoking book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell challenges us to rethink how extraordinary achievement is cultivated. He argues that success is rarely the product of innate talent alone; it emerges from opportunity, cultural legacies, and the discipline of hard work — the now famous “10 000-hour rule.”

This message resonates strongly with me, especially as I reflect on the prospects of small island developing states (SIDS) like Barbados. Our limited size often leads outsiders to underestimate us, but Gladwell reminds us that greatness arises not from abundance but from how well we nurture and seize opportunity.

I have a personal connection to Malcolm Gladwell’s story. His caucasian father, Graham Gladwell, was one of my professors at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica in the early 1960s, when I pursued my BSc in Mathematics. His mother hailed from Jamaica. Malcolm’s Caribbean roots remind us that global thought leaders can and do emerge from our shores.

For SIDS, the lessons of Outliers are clear. We must deliberately create ecosystems where talent is recognised early, where young people have access to shepherds, and where opportunities to practise, fail, and grow are abundant. Whether in business, sports, or the arts, disciplined preparation combined with supportive environments can help Caribbean citizens achieve excellence on the world stage.

Moreover, Gladwell’s focus on cultural legacies should prompt us to examine our own. The resilience of our forebears, our communal traditions, and our creativity are assets we must harness, not discard. By blending these cultural strengths with deliberate investment in training and shepherding, we can fuel a new generation of Caribbean outliers.

Small island developing states may be small in geography, but with focus and foresight, we can be giants in contribution.

Let us embrace Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers with its lessons on opportunity, culture and timing as we seek to unlock our people’s potential.

basilgf@marketplaceexcellence.com