Practice Loop

Musings 1 Minute

Do you carry a quiet pressure at work: To get it right, deliver something near perfection every time?

This experiment mentioned by David Bayles & Ted Orland in their book Art and Fear might hold the key for you.

A pottery teacher divided the students into 2 group:

▶️ Group A: Was told that they will be graded on one perfect pot

▶️Group B: Was told that they will be graded on the quantity of pots

The best pot came from Group B. 🌠

It was no surprise, Group A obsessed over planning, refining and trying to create the one perfect pot.

Group B just kept making pots – imperfect, uneven, sometimes collapsing – but always learning.

The difference came from PRACTICE: it is not repetition, it is iteration with feedback

The Practice Loop: Trying  Making mistakes  Learning  Adjusting  Trying again

Here are three steps to apply it:

  1. Pick one skill you want to develop (presentation or writing )
  2. Set a volume goal – number of times you would do it
  3. After each attempt, ask
    1. What worked?
    1. What didn’t?
    1. What will I change next time?

Which skill would you like to begin with?

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Published by Padma Rajeswari

At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog. I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’. Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations. On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on. I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe. On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you!

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