In his book Mastery, George Leonard writes that âwe all aspire to mastery, but the path is always long and sometimes rocky, and it promises no quick and easy payoffs. So we look for other paths, each of which attracts a certain type of person.â
Those other paths that Leonard is talking about come in the form of three different personalities: The Dabbler, the Obsessive, and the Hacker.
Each of us identifies with at least one of these personalities, if not some combination of all three. And if we donât know what to look out for, then the traits of these personalities can derail us from our path of success and mastery.
Letâs go over each of them one by one:
1. The Dabbler.
Dabblers love the high that comes from doing something new: new jobs, new hobbies, new relationships, etc. Theyâll approach each new sport, career, or relationship with tons of enthusiasm. They tell all their friends; they post about it on social media; they buy all the gear. They love the âshine of newness.â They donât mind putting in the initial work to learn something new because they find joy in the initial spurts of progress that come with learning the basics of a new skill.
But the moment a Dabbler hits a real plateauâespecially if it causes them to lose some of the progress they initially madeâthey quitâŠ
Dabblers love starting new jobs. Theyâre enthusiastic beyond belief about them. But when the peak begins to wane, they look elsewhere for another opportunity.
Dabblers love learning new sports. They signup for tennis lessons. They buy the freshest gear. The coolest tennis racquet. And theyâre elated when they learn how to hit a tennis ball. But when the progress slows, and they realize itâll take time to perfect their stroke, they decide that maybe itâs better to try a different sport.
Dabblers specialize in excuses and rationalizations. This new job/sport/relationship just isnât for them⊠Theyâre surprised to see sharp stalls in progress. Theyâll tell you itâs too competitive, or that itâs not competitive enough. Theyâll say itâs too boring. Or too dangerous. Or they suddenly realize they donât have the time for it or something. And then, after theyâve adequately rationalized why they should quit, the Dabbler does what they always do: set their sights on something new.
- The Dabbler, in a nutshell: they start something new, experience the highs that come with quick results, hit a plateau and create an excuse to quit and move on to the next thing. Obviously, no mastery.
2. The Obsessive.
All they care about is results, results, resultsâand fast. So when they hit plateaus, they are just as appalled as the Dabbler. But rather than quitting, they double down. They ignore the fact that mastery takes sustained effort over time. They donât mind putting in the effort, but theyâve got a problem with putting in the timeâthey want to get the tennis stroke right and hit the ball perfectly from their very first lesson. And when they canât? They push even harder.
They push and push and push themselves to create a continued upward curve. But they push themselves too hard, and in do so, run out of gas. So what do they do? They look for shortcuts, of course. As they try to continue on the path and as things get increasingly difficult, they look for more and more cheats and crutches to get them the results they want.
The Obsessive becomes so obsessed with results that they donât even realize theyâre undermining themselves in the long run with these types of shortcuts.
The Obsessive is a lot like the typical bottom-line corporate executive we see today. They strive to keep the profit curve angled upward at any cost, even if it means massive lay-offs, sacrificing research and development, and bailing on long-term planning and profitability. The Obsessive wants results NOW, damnit!
The Obsessive does everything he can to keep his relationship alive. But his relationship becomes a rollercoaster ride with stormy separations and passionate reconciliations.
You canât master calculus if you donât master algebra. If you never properly learn to juggle three balls, youâll inevitably drop everything when you try to juggle four. But the Obsessive refuses to understand this. They reject that mastery is cumulativeâthat it requires a solid foundation. And it hurts them terribly over the long run.
- The Obsessive, in a nutshell: they experience an upward curve, they hit a plateau, get impatient, try to push past it and move on to the next level, and then they run out of gas and experience a sharp downward decline. Obviously, no mastery.
3. The Hacker.
The third personality, the Hacker, is a bit different. Hackers begin reasonably well and make decent progress, but at a certain point, they stop caring. Once theyâve learned enough to feel comfortable with their situation, they stop trying to improve.
Hackers are happy with the status quo. Sometimes they donât even realize theyâve put themselves in cruise control; they may think theyâre performing their job rather well and so have no idea why theyâre never promoted.
- The Hacker, in a nutshell: hackers just hack away at things, without working to improve their skills and grow beyond the basics. Obviously, no mastery.
A single individual might possess one, two, or all three of these personas in different situations. But no matter which style you embody, youâll still end up far short of mastery if you donât break the habits associated with themâŠ
And thatâs the point of learning about these three characters and which of them you identify with mostâto understand why you may not be on the path of mastery⊠And to then, start taking the appropriate actions to get off the path of the Dabbler/Obsessive/Hacker and to instead get on the path of mastery.
Hereâs a great way to startâŠ
Actionable insight:
- Identify which of the three characters you identify with most by making a quick list of a few things youâve tried recently (skills, sports, jobs, etc.) and how you approached them to show to yourself whether/when youâre a Dabbler, an Obsessive, and/or a Hacker.
- Once you know your tendencies, itâll be easier to recognize them when youâre pursuing the path of mastery over something you really care about.
If living a meaningful life is important to you, then itâs important to learn about the concept of masteryâthe constant and never-ending pursuit of growth, knowledge, expertise and experience in a chosen area of your life.
In my view, thereâs nothing more fulfilling than contributing to the lives of others doing something youâre great at and care about. Mastery helps you do that.
But as gratifying as the path of mastery can be, it can also be incredibly difficult⊠And at times, you may be tempted to bail on mastery and settle for mediocrity. Understanding these three personas will help you stay on the path of successâthe path of mastery.
PS: If you’re diggin’ all this mastery-talk, check out the full book summary for Mastery by George Leonard here.
