Geoffrey Colvin
American writer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Geoffrey Colvin is a Senior Editor-at-Large at Fortune Magazine,[4][2] a position he has held since at least 2005.[3] He is co-author—with Larry Selden (of the Columbia Business School—of Angel Customers and Demon Customers (2003),[5] and sole author of the Penguin-Portfolio books, Talent is Overrated (2008), The Upside of the Downturn (2009), and Humans Are Underrated (2015).[not verified in body]
Geoffrey Colvin | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University[1][better source needed] New York University (M.B.A.)[citation needed] |
| Period | 2005-present[2][3] |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Subject | Economics, finance, business[citation needed] |
| Relatives | Shawn Colvin (sister)[citation needed] |
| Website | |
| www | |
Early life and education
In interview, Geoffrey Colvin has stated that he was "born and raised in Vermillion, South Dakota",[when?] leaving there with his parents at age of 14 years.[1][better source needed] His sister, Shawn Colvin, is now a singer/songwriter.[citation needed] Again, by his own description, he attended and graduated from high school in Carbondale, Illinois, and went to college at Harvard, where he was an economics major.[1][better source needed] He went on to earn an degree from New York University's Stern School of Business.[3][better source needed]
Career
As of July 2026, Geoffrey Colvin is serving as a Senior Editor-at-Large for Fortune Magazine,[2] a position he has held at least since 2005.[3]
Colvin co-led a successor to Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street; when that 2002 CNBC launch, again a Rukeyser-hosted program—itself descended from the cancellation of the PBS program, Wall Street Week with Fortune, that same year—ended a two year run for reason's of the host's health. Colvin and Karen Gibbs co-anchored a program with the same "Wall Street Week with Fortune" name, on its return to PBS, until its cancellation in 2005.[6]
As of this date,[when?] his daily reports "Inside Business" and “Fortune Business Update” could be heard on the CBS Radio Network;[citation needed] as of this date,[when?] he had made more than 10,000 broadcasts.[citation needed]
Published works
Colvin is co-author with Larry Selden (of the Columbia Business School) of Angel Customers and Demon Customers (2003),[5] as well as sole author of the Penguin-Portfolio books, Talent is Overrated (2008), The Upside of the Downturn (2009), and Humans Are Underrated (2015).[according to whom?]
As sole author
- Colvin, Geoff (2008). Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else (1st ed.). London, England: Penguin. ISBN 9781101079003. Retrieved July 6, 2026. Note, the first edition hardcover edition of this work is otherwise associated with the ISBN 9781591842248.
- —, — (2009). The Upside of the Downturn: Ten Management Strategies to Prevail in the Recession and Thrive in the Aftermath (1st ed.). New York, NY: Portfolio-Penguin. ISBN 9781591842965. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
- —, — (2015). Humans Are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will (1st ed.). New York, NY: Portfolio-Penguin. ISBN 9781591847205. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
With co-authors
- Selden, Larry & Colvin, Geoff (2003). Angel Customers and Demon Customers: Discover Which is Which, and Turbo-Charge Your Stock (1st ed.). New York, NY: Portfolio-Penguin. ISBN 9781440626715. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Note, the first edition hardcover edition of this work is otherwise associated with the ISBN 9781591840077.
Talent is Overrated
Colvin published Talent is Overrated.[when?][where?][citation needed] It's thesis that the greatest achievers succeed through lifelong "deliberate practice."[quote needs citation] Colvin characterizes it as “activity designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher’s help; it pushes the practicer just beyond, but not way beyond, his or her current limits; it can be repeated a lot; feedback on results is continuously available; it’s highly demanding mentally, whether the activity is purely intellectual, such as chess or business-related activities, or heavily physical, such as sports; and it isn’t much fun".[quote needs citation] "Some 40 years of research show that specific, innate gifts are not necessary for great performance", Colvin says; "great performance is far more available than most people realize".[quote needs citation]
Humans Are Underrated
Colvin published Humans Are Underrated.[when?][where?][citation needed] It argues[according to whom?] that as technology advances with increasing speed, the most valuable skills in the economy will be skills of deep human interaction—empathy, creative problem-solving in groups, storytelling—and that developing these skills will be crucial to the futures of individuals, companies, and nations.[citation needed] The book suggests[according to whom?] that while demand for such skills is rising, supply may be falling as our increasingly digital lives cause these skills to atrophy[citation needed]. The imbalance of supply and demand, Colvin concludes, is making these skills even more valuable.[citation needed]