Why You Need Practice (Not Another Framework)

Picture this: You’re just learning to play the piano, but suddenly you're asked to perform at a live concert — full audience, lights on, cameras rolling. You’d freeze up, right?

That’s exactly what happens when we expect people at work to learn how to improve… while they’re in the middle of solving high-stakes, real-world problems.

Too often, we treat improvement work like it’s game time. We need results, now! But how could we possibly expect people to learn how to improve processes or solve problems with so much pressure on getting it right?

If every time we experiment, we’re “in the game,” the stakes are too high. We’re playing with real points, which makes people risk-averse. Our brains shift into performance mode, where we are cautious not to play the wrong note. So we pick the easy song, the one we’ve played a hundred times. That’s not where learning thrives.

Learning happens through low-stakes repetition. Through failure and feedback. Through time to try, reflect, revise, and try again.

Enter the Practice Lab

That’s why, when I’m working with a new team on continuous improvement, we don’t start with their most urgent business problem. We start in a practice lab — a simple, low-risk challenge where we can experiment safely while learning the underlying method.

Usually, we pick something that is easy to modify often, and for which the stakes of messing up are relatively low. For a manufacturer, perhaps it’s how to pick materials for a job (knowing you can always put them back and start over). For a restaurant, perhaps it’s how you run prep in the morning, before the orders starting coming in.

It might not feel like it “matters,” and that’s the point. Because when the pressure’s off, people can focus on building skills — not just getting a result.

We use the improvement kata as our practice structure:

• Understand the direction

• Grasp the current condition

• Set a next target condition

• Run small experiments toward it

It’s deliberate, repeatable, and deeply developmental. And just like practicing an instrument, the real growth happens between the reps — in the feedback loop with a coach.

Thanks to Tilo Schwarz for reinforcing this metaphor at Kata Together last week: Practice is where we build skill. Game day is where we apply it.

1. We coach to build skills, not just solve problems

A lot of people still think of “coaching” as either giving advice or teaching a framework. But real improvement coaching? It’s not about the solution. It’s about building capability.

That means helping someone develop their thinking so they can navigate ambiguity and solve future problems — not just today’s.

And yes, that’s slower in the short term. Coaching is not the most efficient way to get to a single answer. If you just want a fix, coaching will feel clunky. But if your goal is an entire team of competent problem-solvers — people who can think critically, run experiments, and adapt quickly — then coaching is the most scalable, powerful tool you have.

The real payoff is long-term: when your team can move faster and go deeper — because they’ve built the muscles to take on complex, uncertain, even daunting challenges.

2. Frequency matters more than duration

Coaching once a week? Honestly, it’s not enough.

Weekly conversations tend to get bloated. They turn into status updates or problem dumps. And the time between reps is too long — people forget what they tried, or what you worked on last time. In fact, since accountability is lowered, they often fail to have taken a step at all.

Improvement coaching works best when it’s short and frequent. 10-15 minutes a day is the aim. It’s long enough to dig into the thinking, but short enough to keep momentum.

This is true for any new habit. If you want to build muscle, frequency beats intensity. Think braise, not boil — a low simmer that deepens flavor over time.

• Want to build a culture of improvement? Create daily practice.

• Want to develop strong problem-solvers? Pair them with a coach.

• Want to become a better coach? You gotta get your reps in, too! Ideally, with feedback.

3. Practice doesn’t make perfect — perfect practice does

It’s a myth that any kind of repetition leads to mastery. Practice doesn’t make perfect — practice makes permanent. If you’re reinforcing poor habits, you're getting better at doing things the wrong way.

That’s why professionals in every field don’t just "wing it" until it clicks. They practice with intention. They work with other pros. They rehearse specific plays. They review the tape. They get feedback from a coach. Then they adjust and try again.

The same applies to improvement work.

When you’re trying to build a new capability in your team, quality of practice matters. Is the improver working with a clear hypothesis? Are they observing with precision what is actually happening, and drawing the appropriate conclusions? Are they incorporating these learnings into a future experiment?

That’s what creates real growth. Not just going through the motions — but doing the reps with purpose.

If you want a team that moves fast, solves problems, and can adapt to change, start by creating space for practice. Build the habits. Get the reps in. Work with a coach.

Then, when game time comes? You’ll be ready.