Comments on: Are you in training to get better at business?

By: Tim Walker

Tim Walker — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:17:43 +0000

Reading through these at greater leisure . . . I’d note that Wally’s comment addresses an aspect of Dave’s: in business, we can’t learn to block-&-tackle and THEN start playing games. We may polish those skills on the side, but they really come into play AS we’re facing the day-to-day realities of business.

By: Tim Walker

Tim Walker — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:14:24 +0000

Good advice, Wally!

By: Wally Bock

Wally Bock — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:58:46 +0000

Getting better is always a challenge. Peter Drucker discussed it for business people forty years ago in The Effective Executive. Deliberate practice is the latest “big idea” about how to do it. The problem, as I wrote in “Getting Real about Deliberate Practice and Leadership Development” ( http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2009/01/26/getting-real-about-deliberate-practice-and-leadership-development.aspx ) is that many of the things we need to get better at don’t lend themselves to effective deliberate practice the way it’s done for skills like plyaing the piano or golf.

So we have to do something slightly different. You still need a task and a way to measure it. But you may have to make do with a daily summing up rather than multiple trials. Here’s what I suggest to coaching clients.

Pick something that matters, but pick only one thing. Making after-action notes would be a good one. Realize that your measurement might be simple self-examination in the best Ben Franklin tradition.

Then work on improving that skill for three months. Keep records so you know how you’re doing and can compete with yesterday. After three months, pick something else to work on for the next quarter.

By: dblwyo

dblwyo — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:01:05 +0000

Here we go again. The two major problems people have with effective deliberate practice, it seems to me, is it starts with basic skills and then mastery of the portfolio of fundamentals. Learn to block and tackle and run, be in shape. THEN learn to play your position and ESPECIALLY understand how your position fits into the team, the gameplan and so forth. Then practice, practice, practice.
BUT…the real showstopper is facing the fact you will fall off the wagon and finding the cojones to climb back on. We all come to that Ginuga Gap of groundlessness.
What do you do then?

By: Derek McLennan

Derek McLennan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:01:42 +0000

I have read your blog post a few times in the past. It wasn’t until recently I’ve noticed that it is choke full of real value an info.

Keep it comming and great job.

By: Tim Walker

Tim Walker — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:13:30 +0000

Thanks for the link, Peter — I’ll give your site a look!

By: Peter Jones

Peter Jones — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:26:12 +0000

Hi Tim

I noticed your post above and tweet -

“Going offline to do some pencil-&-paper work. For some things, the old ways are the best.”

- and wondered if you had heard of Hodges’ model. It’s a gift to pull disparate projects threads together and weave creative ideas.

If time permits (I can see you are buzy) check out the blog (totally no sales here):

http://hodges-model.blogspot.com/

I hope the pencil and paper delivers, if not please give the model a look ‘c’…

Best,

Peter Jones
http://hodges-model.blogspot.com/
Hodges’ Health Career – Care Domains – Model
http://www.p-jones.demon.co.uk/
h2cm: help2Cmore – help-2-listen – help-2-care
http://twitter.com/h2cm