Tom Breur
21 May 2013
What’s the difference between an amateur and a pro? Some may say, a pro
gets paid for what he does, an amateur does not. But surely there is more to
it.
Take a look at the driving range on a golf course. The best players hone
their swing over and over again. Watch tennis pros practice their serve.
Endless hourse of repetition. Musicians rehearse a part. We could go an and on.
Practice makes perfect. Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers, 2008) argues that it takes
about 10.000 hours of practice to become a true expert at something (based on
research by Anders Ericsson).
Continuous improvement is a cornerstone of Lean practices. Mike Rother
(Toyota Kata, 2009) makes a compelling case that if you consistently get only a teeny weeny little bit better every
day, over time you can become the best. As long as you are relentless in
improving. Every single day. Continuous improvement is the habit of change. Standing still means sliding back.
For change to “stick”, you need to reinforce new behavior. Over and over
again. And then some more. Or else it simply won’t “stick” – such is the power
of inertia, and old habits. If you
want to change a habit, and any
change involves some change of habit,
you’ll have to practice the new behavior. A lot. Or else you are bound to slide
back into your old way of doing things, which is anathema to change!
So if pro’s have to practice and practice, even when they already start
from a higher base level, doesn’t that mean that all of us –like me– that are
not quite where we would like to be, yet, should be even more diligent with our
practice?
How do you make change the norm, continuous improvement the norm (by
habit) rather than a deliberate attempt to “fix” things?
Join us for our
Hands-on Agile workshop on 28-29 May 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment