If there was one thing that I would teach my younger self, and I would ask of my past managers and leaders, it would be to instil a much stronger culture of 'Deliberate Practice'.
In my time it was called 'role play', and everyone would roll their eyes and back as far away as possible. It was embarrassing, critical, and demotivating. Yet in the last ten years I have been back to University myself, learned new skills, and relearned existing skills, and the one thing that leads time and time again to continuous improvement is 'Deliberate Practice'.
Tim Anstiss has been my mentor in this process and I am so pleased to have Tim involved in our Co-LabPeople business. 'Deliberate Practice' was popularised by the psychologist Anders Ericsson and is often contrasted with the general experience of 'mindless repetition'. We simply do not learn by doing things time and time again. We need to learn through a high level of consciousness and a clear process of reflection and feedback.
Most managers assume that experience leads to improvement. But in reality, without deliberate practice, colleagues will often hit a plateau. 'This is as good as I can get'. The best leaders though create conditions that accelerate skills development, ensuring their teams don’t just get busier - instead they actually get better.
Three Ways to Embed Deliberate Practice into Your Team’s Development:
1. Design Stretch Assignments with Built-in Feedback Loops
I have always been a fan of 'Stretch'. Most learning happens on the job, but not all work is growth work. Instead of just giving employees new tasks, assign deliberate stretch assignments—challenges that push them just outside their comfort zones. Pair these with
structured feedback (peer review, manager check-ins, or client reflections) to help them fine-tune their approach.
Here is an Example: Instead of just assigning a new client presentation, ask a colleague to rehearse it twice: once for a peer and once for a manager, with targeted feedback after each process.
2. Enhance Reflection Over Repetition
Repetition alone doesn’t lead to mastery—reflection does. Top-performing professionals don’t just do things repeatedly; they analyse what worked, what didn’t, and how they can adjust.
Here is an Example: Build structured post-project debriefs into your workflow. Ask:
What did you aim to achieve?
What went well?
What could be improved?
What will you do differently next time?
This practice transforms routine work into deliberate learning. It creates a learning culture, and encourages an automatic process of 'do and review'. Successful 'do and review' leads to more success next time round.
3. Create Safe Spaces for Micro-Failures
Any Senior Leader who works with me in coaching will know how I focus on the 'Micro', not the macro. Let's make small changes that are within our absolute control, that will have an bigger impact on the outcomes.
Fear of failure stifles learning. To develop expertise, employees need an environment where they can take small risks, experiment, and fail safely.
Here is an Example: Introduce low-stakes practice environments—mock negotiations, role-playing difficult conversations, or simulation exercises—where colleagues can refine their skills before high-stakes situations.
The Takeaway
Managers who prioritize deliberate practice create teams that don’t just work hard— they improve fast. The key is designing environments where employees can stretch, reflect, and experiment in meaningful ways.
Final Thought:
How are you embedding deliberate practice into your team’s development? What small shifts could help your employees break through their plateaus?
If you would like to explore this further for your team please just reach out to me, or one of my colleagues, at Co-Labpeople.
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