Great performers and performances depend on the near-perfect execution of a specific set of technical skills. These are the skills, actions, and routines that form the basis of consistency and high-level effectiveness. Mastering them is what great performance is all about.
Technical skills in any performance arena arise from a specialized knowledge that is applied to accomplish complex tasks and problems. The application of such skills is highly precise and replicable. Top performers strive to execute the technical skills in the same precise way over and over, without thinking about them. This requires a tremendous amount of practice prior to performance to inculcate these skills into working memory.
Perhaps the biggest challenge many performers face is not the practice, but rather identifying exactly what technical skills they must master. While athletes and stage performers enjoy the benefits of a rich history of what technical skills matter most, that is not the case in the myriad of other performances, especially in the business world.
The list of technical skills for salespeople, software developers, team leaders, executive coaches, investment portfolio managers, insurance claim processors, and real estate appraisers is far more arcane. Place a group of experts engaged in the same performance or role in a room, and you likely find a robust discussion as to which technical skills they believe less experienced practitioners must master.
The best leaders don’t take this exercise for granted or allow others to presume they know what skills and actions they must master. By engaging with experts and top performers in any role, they create a short list of those actions and skills most important to top performance. Then they work hard to create practice, training, and experience to help their practitioners create mastery around these technical skills.
Any team, leader, coach, or instructor who can’t point to such a list or who hasn’t invested in designing practice sessions to improve these skills is only pretending to help others reach their highest potential as performers. While working on any skill connected to performance certainly helps, it is a far cry from making master performers.
Take the time and make the effort to identify the technical skills required for top performance in every role in the organization. Then be sure the best practice sessions are designed around these skills. In the words of legendary coach Vince Lombardi, “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
