The secret ingredients of landing better change – what can we learn from ‘experts’?
Firstly, let’s deal with the word ‘experts’. We may instantly think of elite athletes, actors, musicians etc – people who are at the top of their performances. They have spent hours honing their skills, gaining practice and muscle memory. They are committed to learning and improving.
Whether it’s your personal ‘one day…’ list goals or work goals, adopting the idea that we are elite athletes or performers reframes our approach to learning and mastering the skills, thinking and behaviour change you want to make to reach your potential and live a fulfilling life.
And, it turns out ‘experts’ do 4 things that help them acquire new skills and levels of performance.
Swedish psychologist Anders Ericsson has also identified 4 other things that experts do:
- Practice ‘deliberately’: intentional and focused practice over time
- Apply laser-like and specific focus: identify the specific element you want to improve. For example, if you need to deliver engaging presentations, you might want to target your storytelling or how you use imagery; if you want to join a local tennis competition, how can you improve your footwork or your racquet-handing for a stronger backhand? Michael Jordan, for example, spent hours looking at how he held the ball. While that seems so specific, it is the ability to break things down to each tiny component to improve the whole that is one of the key traits of ‘experts’.
- Find coaches and mentors and others who inspire them: find your people that will help you achieve the level of skill you are targeting. Hang with people of all different skill levels to continually learn about HOW they are tackling improving, not to compete.
- Seek constructive and even painful feedback: be clear on the feedback you need, however frank it needs to be, that will help you improve, not just cheer you on.
And we know this works because we see so many examples, just as Anders did to identify these 4 elements.
Interested in learning more?
- Read more about The One Day… Program
