If you are interested in mastering what you do, you’ll enjoy George Leonard’s ‘Mastery’.
James Clear in his summary highlights the following key take-aways:
“On the path to improvement: the general progression is always the same. To take the master’s journey, you have to practice diligently, striving to hone your skills, to attain new levels of competence. But while doing so, you also have to be willing to spend most of your time on a plateau, to keep practicing even when you seem to be getting nowhere.
- The most successful path to mastery is to practice for the sake of the practice itself. Not for the result.
What does this look like in practice – the Mike Lynch Model
James O’Brien from LBC Radio in his interview with Mike Lynch helped reveal the process that
The clip in speaking in public is worthwhile watching.
A lot of people need to speak in public and defend tough questions to promote their members’ message. Few are good at it. If you want to be good it, Mike Lynch shows you the process to become a good spokesman for your members/interests:
- Being put on the spot daily in front of a tough audience and asking tough questions helps you respond to tough questions.
- Practice in front of an audience who won’t let you off until you have responded.
- Practice for a long time – since 1978 for Mike Lynch.
- Do this in front of different size audiences from a few to a 100.
- Give a performance but it can’t be a performance, it must be you.
- Respond clearly to the questions.
- Take the criticism on the chin.
- Learn over time – take the hard knocks.
- Enjoy yourself.
- Remember you are speaking on behalf of your members who have it harder.
- Train your people to do the same.
- This involves an accretion of skills over time.
Many who speak on behalf of the interests they represent would benefit from copying the Mike Lynch/RMT training system.