Over the past few weeks, I’ve listened to two of Daniel Coyle’s books while cycling in the mornings. In The Culture Code, he quotes Dave Cooper, a retired Commander Master Chief from SEAL Team Six. “When we talk about courage, we think it’s going against an enemy with a machine gun. The real courage is seeing the truth and speaking the truth to each other,” Cooper said.
It reminded me of a recent conversation with an executive director, who said they were doing a rebrand of their organization. They talked about using an abbreviation of their nonprofit’s name and admitted that the current name of the nonprofit did not adequately represent all that they do. “You’re going to do an entire rebrand, and tie yourself to name that doesn’t embody your mission and that has to be explained every time?” I asked. “If you are going through the trouble to rebrand, it might be worth considering a name that you don’t have to explain, one that tells people who you are.” Maybe not what they wanted to hear with how much is already shifting for them right now, but my question was about strategy and longevity. They are preparing the organization for its next phase… the question is, how do you best set yourself up for success in the long-term.
“The sweet spot: that productive, uncomfortable terrain located just beyond our current abilities, where our reach exceeds our grasp." In The Talent Code, Coyle focuses on unlocking talent, and maximizing potential – in ourselves, and unleashing it in others. Sitting outside on my friend’s front porch at a safe physical distance during a recent vocal lesson, we worked line-by-line to learn the notes of each word of a song. It was slow – very slow - we made it through one verse and the chorus in 30 minutes. I was sitting there thinking, “Can’t we just practice the whole song?”
But, as Coyle describes, deep practice “allow[s] you to develop your gifts and optimize your performance.” The process of breaking down big chunks (an entire song) into small pieces (notes of a word) can speed up and increase skills up to ten times that of the conventional “I’ll just sing the whole song over and over again” type practice.
Coyle also references a data point many of us have heard. 10,000 hours is what it takes to master a skill. Hours that leverage deep practice, ignition (motivation or passion “born out of our deepest unconscious desires”), and master coaching.
He also reiterated something else. In many cases, we’ve been practicing in small doses and taking in the information and building the skillsets needed throughout our lives. So, as I think about the application of this process to being courageous, we’re not starting from scratch. Those small moments where we stepped out of our comfort zone were all training as part of our courageous 10k.
Each time we found that “sweet spot” – dancing with discomfort while taking courageous steps forward, have all been in practice to master that skill. Along the way, we’re also leveraging and honing other skillsets and ways of thinking. Confidence, curiosity, it’s all connected – and can all be cultivated and learned. Now, we need to recognize it. Look for small moments to practice and refine it. And, speak truth – to ourselves, and others – as part of how we put those learnings into practice.
As we head into the week – I encourage you to take time to think about where you’ve seen or experienced courage, and how it made you feel. To think about what your personal Courageous 10k looks like as you build and hone those skills. Ask the question – what ignites courageous action in you? What support do you need to move into the next phase in your training?
I’ll leave you with one more quote from Coyle on the anatomy of a courageous moment. “Improvement isn’t just about getting better — it’s also about getting braver.”
With gratitude,
Josh
Books by Daniel Coyle