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Practice

September 13, 1999

"It's one thing to show up for work every day and do your job.  Or to show up on game day and go against the competition.  But it's another thing to show up for practice.  To drill.  To rehearse.  To run through your plays time after time, watching the people perform as a team and pushing for better performance.

Practice, so the saying goes, makes perfect.  Maybe, maybe not.  But you'll notice that nobody offers any hope of perfection without it.  Regular disciplined practice gives your team performance gains it could never achieve by merely 'doing the job' or 'playing the game.'

Practice gives you a chance to work purely on performance, without having to worry about actual results at the same time.  You can experiment... foul up... learn...make corrections... try again.  People can work on new routines, try out in different positions, do things they could never afford to do if it were a 'live' situation instead of just a practice session. 

It takes practice to develop the team's true potential.  To develop that 'edge' that lets you outperform the competition.  To meet the challenge of tough, non-routine problems that might pop up.

Consider this: The true professionals never stop practicing.  Neither should you and your teammates (Pritchett, 1992, pp.21-22)."

Reference:  Pritchett, P. (1992).  The team member handbook for teamwork.  Dallas:  Pritchett & Associates.

When was the last time you practiced with your team?

* The Team Member Handbook for Teamwork is available on loan at the OSU Leadership Center.  A listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~leaders

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Created: 2009-01-06, Updated: 2009-01-16