When performing gets in the way of improving | Eduardo Briceño | TEDxManhattanBeach

Summary

The speaker discusses the importance of balancing time between the learning zone, where the focus is on improvement and embracing mistakes, and the performance zone, aimed at executing tasks to the best of one's ability. By alternating between these zones, individuals can achieve continuous growth and improved performance in their personal and professional lives. The talk emphasizes the value of deliberate practice and creating low-stakes environments to foster learning and innovation.

Takeaways

• 🌟 People often strive to do their best but may not see improvement in areas they care about, despite hard work.
• 🔄 Effective individuals and teams alternate between two zones: the learning zone and the performance zone, each with distinct goals and activities.
• 📈 The learning zone focuses on improvement with activities designed for mastering new skills, accepting and learning from mistakes.
• 🎯 In the performance zone, the goal is to execute and perform tasks to the best of one's abilities, minimizing errors.
• 🚶‍♂️ Many people spend most of their time in the performance zone, which hinders growth and long-term performance.
• 🏛️ Historical example: Demosthenes, a great orator and lawyer in ancient Greece, engaged in deliberate practice to improve his skills.
• 🎓 Deliberate practice involves breaking down abilities, focusing on specific subskills, and using feedback for improvement.
• 📉 Performance plateaus often occur after the first few years in a profession due to lack of learning zone activities.
• 💼 The best in their fields, like salespeople and chess players, regularly engage in learning zone activities to keep improving.
• 🔑 To spend more time in the learning zone, one must believe in their ability to improve, have a clear purpose, know how to improve, and be in a low-stakes situation.
• 🌈 Creating low-stakes environments and leading by example can foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker addresses in the transcript?

The speaker addresses the issue of stagnation in personal growth and improvement, despite putting in a lot of effort and time in various aspects of life such as professional skills, relationships, and personal development.

What are the two zones the speaker mentions that effective people and teams alternate between?

The two zones are the learning zone, where the focus is on improvement and making mistakes, and the performance zone, where the goal is to execute and minimize mistakes.

Why is it important to alternate between the learning and performance zones?

Alternating between these zones is important because it allows individuals to maximize both immediate performance and long-term growth. Spending time in the learning zone facilitates improvement and adaptation of skills, while the performance zone ensures the application of those skills effectively.

What is the term used to describe the type of practice that leads to substantial improvement in the learning zone?

The term used is 'deliberate practice', which involves breaking down abilities into component skills, focusing on specific subskills to improve, and using feedback and repetition to push beyond current capabilities.

How did Demosthenes, the ancient Greek orator, exemplify the learning zone?

Demosthenes exemplified the learning zone by engaging in deliberate practice activities such as studying law and philosophy, practicing speeches in front of a mirror with a sword to correct shoulder lifting, speaking with stones in his mouth to improve clarity, and practicing in an underground room or by the ocean to project his voice.

What are some factors that prevent people from spending time in the learning zone?

Factors that prevent people from spending time in the learning zone include a lack of belief in one's ability to improve (fixed mindset), not having a clear purpose or motivation to improve, not knowing how to go about improving, and being in high-stakes situations where mistakes have severe consequences.

How can individuals create more opportunities for learning and growth in their lives?

Individuals can create opportunities for learning and growth by adopting a growth mindset, identifying specific skills they want to improve, engaging in deliberate practice, seeking low-stakes situations for practice, and reflecting on performances to identify areas for improvement.

What is the significance of having a growth mindset according to the transcript?

A growth mindset is significant because it fosters the belief that one can improve through effort and learning. This belief encourages individuals to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism, and find lessons and inspiration in the success of others.

How can we balance the need for performance with the desire to learn and improve?

Balancing performance with learning involves consciously alternating between the performance zone and the learning zone. This means setting aside dedicated time for deliberate practice and improvement while also applying those skills in real-world situations to optimize performance.

What advice does the speaker give to those in high-stakes environments who cannot immediately change their situation?

The speaker suggests creating low-stakes islands within high-stakes environments, reflecting on performances to identify areas for improvement, observing and emulating experts, and leading by example to lower the stakes for others and foster a culture of ongoing learning.

What is the ultimate goal the speaker encourages individuals to strive for?

The speaker encourages individuals to strive for a balance between doing and learning, to continuously explore and improve, and to create an environment where learning is valued and mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth, leading to never-ending improvement and the pursuit of one's best self.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Learning and Performance Zones

This paragraph introduces the concept of two distinct zones that individuals and teams alternate between for optimal growth and performance. The learning zone is focused on improvement through deliberate practice and accepting mistakes as part of the process. In contrast, the performance zone is about executing and minimizing errors, applying what has already been learned. The speaker shares a personal realization of stagnation in growth despite hard work, which is a common issue that can be addressed by understanding and utilizing these two zones effectively.

05:02

📈 Deliberate Practice and Real-World Examples

The speaker delves into the specifics of deliberate practice, a method that involves breaking down skills into smaller components, setting clear goals for improvement, and engaging in high-level challenges with regular feedback. Historical figures like Demosthenes are used as examples to illustrate how deliberate practice leads to mastery. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone and seeking expert guidance for significant improvement in skills.

10:04

🔄 Balancing Learning and Performance for Growth

This paragraph discusses the balance between the learning and performance zones as crucial for continuous improvement and long-term success. It highlights the tendency of individuals to remain in the performance zone, which can hinder growth. The speaker provides practical advice on how to spend more time in the learning zone, including adopting a growth mindset, identifying specific areas for improvement, and creating low-stakes environments for practice. The paragraph also addresses the societal pressures that can make staying in the learning zone challenging and offers solutions for individuals and organizations to foster a culture of ongoing learning.

Keywords

💡Improvement

Improvement refers to the process of becoming better at something, whether it's a skill, a role, or a task. In the context of the video, it's about personal and professional development, and the desire to enhance one's abilities. The speaker didn't see much improvement despite hard work, which led to the exploration of the learning and performance zones as a solution.

💡Learning Zone

The learning zone is a state of mind where the focus is on growth and improvement, accepting and learning from mistakes. It involves activities designed for enhancement of skills and knowledge, pushing beyond the comfort zone, and expecting to make errors as part of the learning process.

💡Performance Zone

The performance zone is when the goal is to execute tasks or roles to the best of one's ability with a focus on minimizing errors. It's about applying the skills and knowledge that have already been mastered, often in real-world situations or when the stakes are high.

💡Stagnation

Stagnation in the video refers to the lack of progress or improvement in one's skills or roles despite continuous effort and hard work. It's a common phenomenon that the speaker aims to address by advocating for a balance between learning and performance zones.

💡Deliberate Practice

Deliberate practice is a focused approach to learning that involves breaking down skills into components, setting clear goals for improvement, concentrating on challenging tasks, seeking feedback, and making adjustments. It's a method used in the learning zone to achieve substantial improvement.

💡Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. It's the understanding that one can improve at anything with effort, learning, and persistence, which is crucial for spending time in the learning zone.

💡Feedback

Feedback in the context of the video is the process of receiving information about one's performance or actions, which is essential for learning and improvement. It provides insights into what needs to be adjusted or refined and is a critical component of deliberate practice.

💡Low-Stakes Situation

A low-stakes situation refers to a context or environment where the consequences of failure or mistakes are minimal. It's conducive to learning because it encourages risk-taking and experimentation without the fear of severe repercussions.

💡High-Stakes Environment

A high-stakes environment is one where the outcomes have significant consequences, such as exams, job performance, or public speaking. These situations often discourage learning and improvement because the fear of failure can be paralyzing.

💡Execution

Execution refers to the act of carrying out a task or a plan effectively and efficiently. In the video, it is associated with the performance zone, where the emphasis is on doing something as best as possible rather than on learning and improvement.

💡Reflection

Reflection is the process of thinking deeply about one's experiences, actions, and outcomes to gain insights and identify areas for improvement. It's a critical component of learning and is particularly emphasized in the learning zone.

Highlights

Most people strive to do their best in various aspects of life but often find themselves not improving much despite hard work.

The concept of two zones in life - the learning zone and the performance zone - is introduced as a key to effective improvement.

The learning zone is focused on improvement through activities designed for mastering skills not yet learned, embracing the expectation of making mistakes.

The performance zone aims for executing tasks to the best of one's ability, minimizing mistakes by focusing on mastered skills.

A common issue is spending too much time in the performance zone, which hinders growth and long-term performance.

Demosthenes, an ancient Greek orator, exemplifies the learning zone through his deliberate practice to overcome personal challenges and improve his oratory skills.

Deliberate practice, as described by Dr. Anders Ericsson, involves breaking down abilities, focusing on specific subskills, and receiving feedback.

Professional growth often plateaus after the initial years due to a lack of time spent in the learning zone.

Top performers in various fields, such as sales and chess, continue to improve by regularly engaging in activities aimed at improvement.

Typing speed can be improved through deliberate practice focused on increasing speed and correcting common errors.

The performance zone is valuable for achieving tasks and providing information for further learning, but it should be balanced with the learning zone.

Beyoncé exemplifies the alternation between learning and performance zones by reviewing performances and seeking improvement daily.

To spend more time in the learning zone, one must believe in their ability to improve, have a clear purpose, know how to improve, and be in a low-stakes situation.

Creating low-stakes environments and leading by example can foster a culture of growth and learning.

The importance of shifting from a mindset of constant performance to one that values exploration, questioning, and ongoing improvement is emphasized.

The talk concludes with a call to action for individuals and teams to clarify when they seek to learn and when they seek to perform for continuous growth.

Transcripts

Translator: Joanna Pietrulewicz Reviewer: Krystian Aparta

Most of us go through life trying to do our best at whatever we do,

whether it's our job, family, schoolb

or anything else.

I feel that way. I try my best.

But some time ago, I came to a realization

that I wasn't getting much better at the things I cared most about,

whether it was being a husband or a friend

or a professional or teammate,

and I wasn't improving much at those things

even though I was spending a lot of time

working hard at them.

I've since realized from conversations I've had and from research

that this stagnation, despite hard work,

turns out to be pretty common.

So I'd like to share with you some insights into why that is

and what we can all do about it.

What I've learned is that the most effective people

and teams in any domain

do something we can all emulate.

They go through life deliberately alternating between two zones:

the learning zone and the performance zone.

The learning zone is when our goal is to improve.

Then we do activities designed for improvement,

concentrating on what we haven't mastered yet,

which means we have to expect to make mistakes,

knowing that we will learn from them.

That is very different from what we do when we're in our performance zone,

which is when our goal is to do something as best as we can, to execute.

Then we concentrate on what we have already mastered

and we try to minimize mistakes.

Both of these zones should be part of our lives,

but being clear about when we want to be in each of them,

with what goal, focus and expectations,

helps us better perform and better improve.

The performance zone maximizes our immediate performance,

while the learning zone maximizes our growth

and our future performance.

The reason many of us don't improve much

despite our hard work

is that we tend to spend almost all of our time in the performance zone.

This hinders our growth,

and ironically, over the long term, also our performance.

So what does the learning zone look like?

Take Demosthenes, a political leader

and the greatest orator and lawyer in ancient Greece.

To become great, he didn't spend all his time

just being an orator or a lawyer,

which would be his performance zone.

But instead, he did activities designed for improvement.

Of course, he studied a lot.

He studied law and philosophy with guidance from mentors,

but he also realized that being a lawyer involved persuading other people,

so he also studied great speeches

and acting.

To get rid of an odd habit he had of involuntarily lifting his shoulder,

he practiced his speeches in front of a mirror,

and he suspended a sword from the ceiling

so that if he raised his shoulder,

it would hurt.

(Laughter)

To speak more clearly despite a lisp,

he went through his speeches with stones in his mouth.

He built an underground room

where he could practice without interruptions

and not disturb other people.

And since courts at the time were very noisy,

he also practiced by the ocean,

projecting his voice above the roar of the waves.

His activities in the learning zone

were very different from his activities in court,

his performance zone.

In the learning zone,

he did what Dr. Anders Ericsson calls deliberate practice.

This involves breaking down abilities into component skills,

being clear about what subskill we're working to improve,

like keeping our shoulders down,

giving full concentration to a high level of challenge

outside our comfort zone,

just beyond what we can currently do,

using frequent feedback with repetition and adjustments,

and ideally engaging the guidance of a skilled coach,

because activities designed for improvement

are domain-specific,

and great teachers and coaches know what those activities are

and can also give us expert feedback.

It is this type of practice in the learning zone

which leads to substantial improvement,

not just time on task performing.

For example, research shows that after the first couple of years

working in a profession,

performance usually plateaus.

This has been shown to be true in teaching, general medicine,

nursing and other fields,

and it happens because once we think we have become good enough,

adequate,

then we stop spending time in the learning zone.

We focus all our time on just doing our job,

performing,

which turns out not to be a great way to improve.

But the people who continue to spend time in the learning zone

do continue to always improve.

The best salespeople at least once a week

do activities with the goal of improvement.

They read to extend their knowledge,

consult with colleagues or domain experts,

try out new strategies, solicit feedback and reflect.

The best chess players

spend a lot of time not playing games of chess,

which would be their performance zone,

but trying to predict the moves grand masters made and analyzing them.

Each of us has probably spent many, many, many hours

typing on a computer

without getting faster,

but if we spent 10 to 20 minutes each day

fully concentrating on typing 10 to 20 percent faster

than our current reliable speed,

we would get faster,

especially if we also identified what mistakes we're making

and practiced typing those words.

That's deliberate practice.

In what other parts of our lives,

perhaps that we care more about,

are we working hard but not improving much

because we're always in the performance zone?

Now, this is not to say that the performance zone has no value.

It very much does.

When I needed a knee surgery, I didn't tell the surgeon,

"Poke around in there and focus on what you don't know."

(Laughter)

"We'll learn from your mistakes!"

I looked for a surgeon who I felt would do a good job,

and I wanted her to do a good job.

Being in the performance zone

allows us to get things done as best as we can.

It can also be motivating,

and it provides us with information to identify what to focus on next

when we go back to the learning zone.

So the way to high performance

is to alternate between the learning zone and the performance zone,

purposefully building our skills in the learning zone,

then applying those skills in the performance zone.

When Beyoncé is on tour,

during the concert, she's in her performance zone,

but every night when she gets back to the hotel room,

she goes right back into her learning zone.

She watches a video of the show that just ended.

She identifies opportunities for improvement,

for herself, her dancers and her camera staff.

And the next morning,

everyone receives pages of notes with what to adjust,

which they then work on during the day before the next performance.

It's a spiral

to ever-increasing capabilities,

but we need to know when we seek to learn, and when we seek to perform,

and while we want to spend time doing both,

the more time we spend in the learning zone,

the more we'll improve.

So how can we spend more time in the learning zone?

First, we must believe and understand

that we can improve,

what we call a growth mindset.

Second, we must want to improve at that particular skill.

There has to be a purpose we care about,

because it takes time and effort.

Third, we must have an idea about how to improve,

what we can do to improve,

not how I used to practice the guitar as a teenager,

performing songs over and over again,

but doing deliberate practice.

And fourth, we must be in a low-stakes situation,

because if mistakes are to be expected,

then the consequence of making them must not be catastrophic,

or even very significant.

A tightrope walker doesn't practice new tricks without a net underneath,

and an athlete wouldn't set out to first try a new move

during a championship match.

One reason that in our lives

we spend so much time in the performance zone

is that our environments often are, unnecessarily, high stakes.

We create social risks for one another,

even in schools which are supposed to be all about learning,

and I'm not talking about standardized tests.

I mean that every minute of every day,

many students in elementary schools through colleges

feel that if they make a mistake, others will think less of them.

No wonder they're always stressed out

and not taking the risks necessary for learning.

But they learn that mistakes are undesirable

inadvertently

when teachers or parents are eager to hear just correct answers

and reject mistakes rather than welcome and examine them

to learn from them,

or when we look for narrow responses

rather than encourage more exploratory thinking

that we can all learn from.

When all homework or student work has a number or a letter on it,

and counts towards a final grade,

rather than being used for practice, mistakes, feedback and revision,

we send the message that school is a performance zone.

The same is true in our workplaces.

In the companies I consult with, I often see flawless execution cultures

which leaders foster to encourage great work.

But that leads employees to stay within what they know

and not try new things,

so companies struggle to innovate and improve,

and they fall behind.

We can create more spaces for growth

by starting conversations with one another

about when we want to be in each zone.

What do we want to get better at and how?

And when do we want to execute and minimize mistakes?

That way, we gain clarity about what success is,

when, and how to best support one another.

But what if we find ourselves in a chronic high-stakes setting

and we feel we can't start those conversations yet?

Then here are three things that we can still do as individuals.

First, we can create low-stakes islands in an otherwise high-stakes sea.

These are spaces where mistakes have little consequence.

For example, we might find a mentor or a trusted colleague

with whom we can exchange ideas or have vulnerable conversations

or even role-play.

Or we can ask for feedback-oriented meetings as projects progress.

Or we can set aside time to read or watch videos or take online courses.

Those are just some examples.

Second, we can execute and perform as we're expected,

but then reflect on what we could do better next time,

like Beyoncé does,

and we can observe and emulate experts.

The observation, reflection and adjustment is a learning zone.

And finally, we can lead

and lower the stakes for others by sharing what we want to get better at,

by asking questions about what we don't know,

by soliciting feedback and by sharing our mistakes

and what we've learned from them,

so that others can feel safe to do the same.

Real confidence is about modeling ongoing learning.

What if, instead of spending our lives doing, doing, doing,

performing, performing, performing,

we spent more time exploring,

asking,

listening,

experimenting, reflecting,

striving and becoming?

What if we each always had something

we were working to improve?

What if we created more low-stakes islands

and waters?

And what if we got clear,

within ourselves and with our teammates,

about when we seek to learn and when we seek to perform,

so that our efforts can become more consequential,

our improvement never-ending

and our best even better?

Thank you.

(Applause)