Practice makes perfect, or so the saying goes.
The past few years I have coached my oldest daughter’s basketball team. Right or wrong, one of the things I made them do was work on shots from the block. I wanted them to be able to make a shot close to the basket using the backboard.
We would have competitions to see who could make more. We would take turns. We would have timed drills, all with the purpose of helping them develop that one shot.
Why? Because you perform how you practice. If you practice making shots from the block, you have a higher likelihood of making shots from the block in a game. The math is simple.
There’s a rhythm to the repetition. Your muscle memory takes over at some point.
For me, in high school, I shot countless shots from “the elbow” of the free throw line. That was almost 20 years ago, but guess what: today, I can make an elbow shot almost without thinking about it. I repeated the process over and over, and it has stuck with me, somewhat.
Leadership is redundant. As we teach students the ins and outs of leadership, we have to embrace the redundancy.
It’s practicing block shots every practice, knowing eventually you can move further away.
It’s asking and answering the 3 questions every week, over and over, and seeing how the answers change.
It’s inviting those around you to join you as you accomplish a task.
Leadership is doing the same thing over and over. Even when you think you cannot do it again, repeating the process. And teaching others to do the same.
Does repetition get old? Sure.
Does repetition get boring? Sometimes.
But is repetition necessary? Absolutely.
As I’m embarking on helping developing a new group of student leaders, I realize the importance of repetition, and easy repetition to start. I’m striving to help them find a rhythm, to find a place to get started. The goal is to help these student leaders see the opportunities for them to make an impact.
What needs repeating in your setting? Are you willing to tackle it?