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Glenn Brooke | October 26, 2018 | 2 Comments

No Instant Mastery

This infamous cartoon comes to mind when I hear people casually dismiss as “easy” what I know to require hard work, difficult learning, and diligent practice: 

HOW TO DRAW AN OWL

There’s the start, and then the finish. Voila! Instant masterpiece drawing. 

One of the reasons Star Wars fans were turned off by The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi movies was the violation of the central premise that becoming a Jedi Master with advanced skills required years of study and practice. In the original movies Luke had to work hard to use the Force to wield a lightsaber and lift even a pebble. After training intensely with Yoda for a time he’s told that he’s still not ready to face Darth Vader. In The Force Awakens we see Rey, a young woman without any training or prior experience, fly the Millenium Falcon in an elaborate dogfight with Tie fighters, wield a lightsaber successfully against an opponent who had trained all his life, manipulate guards into doing things against their orders, and lift a whole field of boulders.  Zippity-do-da, hocus pocus, instant Jedi Master.

A genuine apprenticeship is composed of (1) instruction, (2) practice with feedback, and (3) association with others practicing the craft. You need instruction because you don’t know something yet. You need practice because skills aren’t perfected by a single repetition. You need association with others because there are aspects of a craft which are more caught than taught. 

None of this is instant, even if The Force were to exist in our universe. It’s demonstrably true that you will improve more rapidly with focused practice on specific skills. But no mastery comes without instruction, practice, and association with others also practicing the craft.  

There are two reasons I believe leaders need to pay attention here.

First, every worthwhile endeavor requires significant craft expertise, which is only obtained through disciplined effort over time. Leadership – including your leadership – is a long apprenticeship in the same direction. Perseverance is both required. You are likely to hear little voices in your collection of head-trash which suggest you should quit, or if you were really a leader, this would be easier. Ignore them, or better yet, laugh at them.  

Second, mastery is honorable because it is the culmination of sustained effort. Each person you work with has some level of mastery, so honor it. Your organization requires many crafts coming together. Commend skill and craftsmanship of others. You’ll find that your organization will get more of what leaders commend and recognize.  

Keep working on your leadership craft!  

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Filed Under: Leadership

Glenn Brooke

Glenn considers leadership a craft which requires dedicated pursuit. The apprentice model (instruction + practice + associating with other craftsmen) is the time-tested way to foster the next generation of leaders. Real leaders never stop working on their craft; there are only new levels of mastery ahead. Learn more at leadershipcraft.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adam says

    October 26, 2018 at 9:22 am

    Test

    Reply
  2. Linda Hoenigsberg says

    October 26, 2018 at 10:28 am

    Hi Adam, I agree things take practice, practice, and more learning and practice. When I became a Christian in the mid 1970’s, the idea was that if you were “gifted” in leadership you should “step out” into your gift and become a leader. This led to an influx of “leaders” who really liked the control aspect and spiritually abused people. I saw it first hand a few times. I think a person can have leadership aspects to their personality but it needs to be honed. Don’t want to spend days in a pit and years in a prison to learn the craft like Joseph (Genesis 37-50)? Follow the teachings of leaders like Adam Kirk Smith. It may not take 10,000 hours after all!

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Adam Smith and welcome to asmithblog.com. I am the author of the book, The Bravest You. Because of my work as an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and speaker, I have been named a top industry influencer by American Genius. I live with my wife, Jasmine, and three children in Shenandoah, IA.

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