Though I'd heard of this writer, I didn't know anything about him and hadn't listened to any of his many programmes on BBC Radio Four. Apparently he was England's number one table tennis player for many years but at two top level competitions 'choked' and could hardly hit the ball. He then retrained in psychology to try to understand what had happened to him and this insight informed his writing career.

This is a very readable and compelling book. Syed begins by explaining that the attitude in the aviation industry to learn from mistakes is the healthiest approach to life and work, but in fact few other sectors or individuals take this approach. 

We learn best from seeing what doesn't work, yet we are afraid of failure, he says. But if we look at successful people, organisations and systems, they all have a healthy and empowering attitude to failure.

He describes David Beckham's success in taking free kicks in football - he practised for hours and hours, making thousands upon thousands of attempts to achieve his ultimate level of accuracy and performance. 

Syed talks of James Dyson recognising a problem with vacuum cleaners and trying over and over and over again to find the solution. 

He investigates the performance of British cycling and Formula One teams and highlights how they seek perfection in every element of their behaviours to achieve the ultimate goal.

And there's so much more here. It's a fascinating book, which is revelatory and inspiring. It is not just about elite performance, it is also about how we can all retrain ourselves in our attitudes and approach to life and achievements.