It has often been said that “Practice makes perfect.”  To use the verb form of the word “practice”:

1. Perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one’s proficiency.

2. Carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.

A recent Forbes article by Simon Reynolds  titled “Is This Single Error Stopping Your Success?”, suggests that the lack of practice might be one of the biggest impediments to success in business and in life.  It concludes by asking what could you (we all) practice?

Your presentations.  Your phone manner.  Staying calm under pressure.  Handling staff. Industry specific techniques. Once you start focusing on the concept of practice, a myriad of opportunities to refine your skills will come to mind. In the end, whether in business, sports, business or life, it’s practice (not talent) that takes people to the top.

I agree with the writer, and I disagree.  But practice, even lots of practice, can make imperfect things imperfect. The truth as I know it is this: Perfect practice makes perfect.

Let me give one concrete example.  I sing in the Memphis Men’s Chorale.  We were a decent group from the outset and were led by volunteer conductors of varying skills and motivations. Almost four years ago, we realized that we needed a trained conductor if we were going to improve.  We hired a doctoral student in choral conducting, Jeremy Warner, to be our part-time conductor.  Thankfully, he is still with us. The results have been, from my viewpoint as an enthusiastic (but untrained Bass 2) singer, astounding.  We are a better singing group.  We sing better music better.  Yet, we practice just about the same as before Jeremy’s arrival.

You can listen to us here.  (I’m the second from left on the back row.)

So what’s the difference?  The quality of our practice. The quality of our practice has improved with Jeremy’s knowledge, training and leadership. Simply put, we are not practicing more, but the quality of our practice has improved.

I’ve said for many years that there is a world of difference between any two professionals (or managers or athletes or artists or whatever) who have 10 (or 20 or whatever) years of experience when one has had a single year of experience repeated ten or more times, and the other has had ten years or more of experience while grappling and growing with his or her craft. Practice doesn’t make perfect.  Perfect practice makes perfect. It is true for the Memphis Men’s Chorale and for professionals or managers or athletes or artists or whatever walk of life you are in.

Perfect practice is more than simple repetition. Perfect practice means doing whatever it takes to improve your craft. Perfect practice means grappling with your craft and growing with it. Perfect practice takes you where you have never been before and separates you from most of your competition who believe that mere practice makes perfect.

So don’t think about practicing to make things better.  Think about enhancing the quality of your practice to accelerate any activity in your life.  Perfect practice makes perfect.