Columnist for The Times and bestselling author of Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice Matthew Syed argues that the key to success is a positive attitude to failure.

What links the Mercedes Formula One team with Google?

What links Team Sky and the aviation industry?

What connects James Dyson and David Beckham?

They are all Black Box Thinkers.

Black Box Thinking is a new approach to high performance, a means of finding an edge in a complex and fast-changing world. It is not just about sport, but has powerful implications for business and politics, as well as for parents and students. In other words, all of us.

Drawing on a dizzying array of case studies and real-world examples, together with cutting-edge research on marginal gains, creativity and grit, Matthew Syed tells the inside story of how success really happens – and how we cannot grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.

About the Author

Matthew Syed is a leading columnist and feature writer for The Times. He makes authored features for the BBC current affairs programme Newsnight and regularly appears on CNN International and World Service TV. He also gives business talks to major international corporate clients including Goldman Sachs, BP, Rolls-Royce, McKinsey, Manchester United, Oxford University and Vodafone. Before becoming a writer Matthew was the England table tennis number one for almost a decade, three times Commonwealth Champion, and he twice represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games.

Matthew Syed’s first book, Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice, was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and became a UK best-seller.