1. What advantages have you benefitted from? Why haven't they been enough to catapult you to an outlier level of success? Alternatively, if you consider yourself very successful, to what do you attribute your success? Make sure you clearly define "outlier" in you work.
2. What did you find most surprising, humorous or thought-provoking in Gladwell's book? Is there any portion of the text you find hard to believe or take strong issue with? Has the book changed your thinking in any area, and if so, how? What, if anything, do you think have you learned from Gladwell?
3. Why does Gladwell think there is no such thing as a "self-made" person? Do you agree? Can you name people who overcame great odds----circumstances not in their favor---to attain success? What about the examples Gladwell offers to support his argument (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or the Beatles, among others)? Do you agree that success depends heavily on timing.