For years we’ve been told that deliberate practice is the key to getting better at ‘anything’. But it turns out that deliberate practice is only really effective in well-structured, stable, ‘kind’ learning environments. Learning maths, learning to code, or learning a new language all take place within kind learning environments. So does playing sports or chess. The rules of the game are fixed, the outcomes of actions are evident and feedback is fast, clear and actionable.
But much of business, leadership and life isn’t like this. As Heraclitus told us “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man“. Many of the more challenging situations that we experience, and their context, will be different the next time from the last time. It turns out there is another type of practice that can help us in these more ‘wicked’ learning environments that hasn’t gotten the air time of it’s well-publicised counterpart. It’s called reflective practice.
When our environment is constantly changing it isn’t just the person who works harder and practices more deliberately that succeeds. Let’s dig into the limitations of deliberate practice in the workplace, and how reflective practice can help us instead to make better decisions and accrue wisdom in business, leadership and life.
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