188 PART III Narrowing the Gap the Next Time
that alone would be on the edge of their feeling of comfort. For others, the experiment might be to ask the question and then remain silent until you hear from five people. As small as these events are, they are the building blocks of mastery.
Walter Gieseking, the great pianist, would have his students take a tiny phrase in a long piece of music that was giving them trouble. He would tell them to work it over and over again. Playing faster, slower, with different rhythms, and in different keys. When those students saw that configura- tion later in the piece or in another piece, they would own that phrase. Like the black belt Aikido students who knew their moves so well that they could instinctively apply them in a variety of settings.
Many organizations encourage managers and executives to get coaches. These people can be a great guide as you reflect on what you are doing and learn from it. For others, you may pick a buddy to help you. Consultants often use “shadow consultants” who are invisible to the client but are there to support the consultant in looking at his own work. My friend Massimo and I have been doing that for each other for years. We know each other so well by now that one can call the other and ask for a quick drive-by coaching session as one of us is headed to a meeting. An Action Learning group can serve the same purpose. And for some, keeping a personal journal can help you build your skills. Practice is essential. Pick a way that works for you.
As I write this chapter, the Winter Olympics are underway. As much as I marvel at what I see, I imagine the grueling practice it took for those men and women to make it to such a prestigious game. Learning a skill is a discipline and it takes time. But I know it is worth it. Earlier this week, I worked with a new client who had the instincts—or correct mindset, in my view—to lead change well. I would make small comments about what she might pay attention to or something she might try differently. It was clear that she had given a lot of thought to leading change, and I felt like I was coaching an Olympian. She knew what to do with what I suggested. I could see her think through my suggestions, tweak them, and make them her own (and disregard those comments that didn't quite fit for her). Such is the stuff of mastery.
I wish you well.