Practice, Test, Do, and Make Adjustments - You Will Go Far in Any Endeavor

When I was in the Marines it was the practice that we did which helped when we went to combat. It is the same in other endeavors as well. When I played football we would do endless amounts of practice in preparation for the next game. We would learn how our opponents played their game and make adjustments accordingly. Every time we played a game, the next practice took in consideration what worked and what didn't work. This was much easier than what is done in the military where life and death is the determining factor.

In everything you may do in life it is the practice that you do which will help you in the long run. If you run a business, then learn to evaluate what works and what doesn't and make adjustments - much like we did in football or any other sport. Using the SWOT analysis, you can make some great adjustments.

The SWOT analysis enables you to look into yourself or your business. It identifies your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By identifying your strengths and weaknesses, you'll be able to make adjustments accordingly. That includes bringing in the right people to help you. In looking at your opportunities and any threats, you'll be able to find those things that can help you get to where you want to go and any obstacles that may stand in your way.

In this way you can practice before doing. In the practice you can find out if your strengths are helping and if your weaknesses are eliminated. Once you start doing, you'll use SWOT to continue practicing or even testing to find out what works.

Now there are things that you will need to do in order to get better. The more I write or speak, the better I will get. Still, when I practice speaking, it helps me make necessary corrections - especially when it comes to delivering a keynote. In most areas of your life, practice will make perfect. So will continuous improvement.

W. Edwards Deming taught the Japanese the idea of continuous improvement as part of his 14 points. They learned this so well that they became the leader in many areas of business - especially in the automotive and electronics fields. In the direct response advertising field, testing of advertisements is one of the most important parts of success. Through testing, they find out what works and what doesn't. They know where the 20% that gets 80% of business lies. Testing in this field is much the same as practice. Typically, mainstream advertising agencies do not test and never know what works.

In the coaching field, coaches will help their clients through problems by practice first. It is the homework action steps that help them learn before doing. As a coach, I will help my client identify a problem and work through it in a safe practice environment. Then they will be given homework to practice more. Once they feel confident, then what they learned is done under real world conditions. Still, there are adjustments to be made and that is done at each coaching session.

In the coaching field, coaches will help their clients through problems by practice first. It is the homework action steps that help them learn before doing. As a coach, I will help my client identify a problem and work through it in a safe practice environment. Then they will be given homework to practice more. Once they feel confident, then what they learned is done under real world conditions. Still, there are adjustments to be made and that is done at each coaching session.