Thought Tweet #936 Learning from practice makes perfect.

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

There's an old saying, "Practice makes perfect".

There's a newer saying, "Perfect practice makes perfect".

And I say, "Learning from practice makes perfect".

STRENGTH at task = mastery of task = perfect performance of task.

STRENGTH = Innate Talent + Opportunity + Specialized Knowledge + Practised Skill...and the practice is required because few get it perfect without practicing.

During practice, people err. As they err, smart people learn and make adjustments so their skills improve. With many errors under their belts, persistent people learn how to master tasks.

"Learning from practice makes perfect."

To be a good leader you must first be a good follower.  

Your ability to lead is limited by your ability to follow.

So, good leaders were first good followers. When they followed, of course, they had a boss. Maybe that boss was a good leader, maybe not. Regardless, that boss had strengths and weaknesses. That boss' strengths provided opportunities to learn. That boss' weaknesses provided opportunities to use strengths. And so, the good follower watched, listened, and learned and the good follower used personal strengths. Over time, the good follower developed and improved. Over time, the good follower learned what it takes to become a good leader.

To be a good leader you must first be a good follower.  

Your ability to lead is limited by your ability to follow.

Understand People Do Only 3 Things: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things

Good Habits are things people think and do that help them achieve long-term desires and goals. Bad Habits are things that people think and do that do not help them achieve long-term desires and goals. Good leaders use these simple definitions to inject clarity into their lives. Then good leaders work at reducing their performance of Bad Habits and expanding their performance of Good Habits. And, good leaders test New Things...relentlessly seeking more Good Habits.

Take Talent To Task

Good leaders are fascinated by people's talents. When people's talents show a capability of aligning with the trust of the leader's goals, good leaders ensure the talented person has access to (1) opportunities to put the talent to productive use, (2) specialized knowledge to complement the talent, and (3) time to practice skills to hone the talent into a personal strength. Then good leaders don't leave things to chance - they help people connect personal strengths to important tasks. 

Don’t force change…construct it with comfort

Good leaders know change is constructive only when people are comfortable. And personal and business growth happens when people learn how to expand their comfort zones. Knowing these things, good leaders consider people's comfort/stress levels and design change in increments that help expand comfort zones without triggering the destructive consequences that naturally happen when people are forced into discomfort zones. Good leaders also know this correct approach to change 'dominoes' as confidence escalates.

Repeat clearly, "I do have time!"

Good leaders know the importance of leading by example. So, they know if they say "I don't have time" or "I'm too busy" their followers will pick up on that, think the same way, talk the same way, and act accordingly...spreading the lack-of-abundance mindset to one and all. Knowing this, good leaders remove the "I don't have time" & "I'm too busy" bad habit from their thoughts and words. They replace the bad habit with good habits: as examples, they apply the 80/20 Rule and they practice abundance thought and solution talk.

Change character for the better

All great leaders changed their character. Perhaps Abraham Lincoln performed one of the greatest self-transformations. When he was a young man he had the habit of openly criticizing other people. In 1842 Lincoln publicly criticized Illinois state employee James Shields. Shields took exception to the criticism and challenged Lincoln to a duel. The 2 men faced one another with weapons in hands. Fortunately their seconds intervened. Lincoln used the incident as a life-lesson and he chose to change his character for the better...rarely criticizing others. Lincoln's change of character took him from the dueling field to the White House.