0:00:00.924,0:00:05.028
Most of us go through life trying[br]to do our best at whatever we do,

0:00:05.028,0:00:07.423
whether it's our job, family, school,

0:00:07.423,0:00:09.435
or anything else.

0:00:09.435,0:00:11.892
I feel that way. I try my best.

0:00:11.892,0:00:14.779
But some time ago, I came to a realization

0:00:14.779,0:00:16.593
that I wasn't getting much better

0:00:16.593,0:00:18.894
at the things I cared most about,

0:00:18.894,0:00:21.629
whether it was being a husband or a friend

0:00:21.629,0:00:24.233
or a professional or teammate,

0:00:24.233,0:00:26.216
and I wasn't improving[br]much at those things

0:00:26.216,0:00:28.805
even though I was spending a lot of time

0:00:28.805,0:00:31.205
working hard at them.

0:00:31.205,0:00:34.722
I've since realized from conversations[br]I've had and from research

0:00:34.722,0:00:37.458
that this stagnation, despite hard work,

0:00:37.458,0:00:39.278
turns out to be pretty common.

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

0:00:41.623,0:00:44.016
and what we can all do about it.

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What I've learned is that[br]the most effective people

0:00:46.766,0:00:48.865
and teams in any domain

0:00:48.865,0:00:51.139
do something we can all emulate.

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They go through life deliberately[br]alternating between two zones:

0:00:55.279,0:00:58.378
the learning zone[br]and the performance zone.

0:00:58.378,0:01:00.950
The learning zone is when[br]our goal is to improve.

0:01:00.950,0:01:04.087
Then, we do activities[br]designed for improvement,

0:01:04.087,0:01:06.697
concentrating on what[br]we haven't mastered yet,

0:01:06.697,0:01:09.071
which means we have to expect[br]to make mistakes,

0:01:09.071,0:01:11.305
knowing that we will learn from them.

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

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

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Then, we concentrate[br]on what we have already mastered

0:01:22.261,0:01:24.171
and we try to minimize mistakes.

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Both of these zones[br]should be part of our lives,

0:01:27.467,0:01:30.744
but being clear about when[br]we want to be in each of them,

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with what goal, focus, and expectations

0:01:33.034,0:01:35.877
helps us better perform[br]and better improve.

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The performance zone maximizes[br]our immediate performance,

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while the learning zone[br]maximizes our growth

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and our future performance.

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The reason many of us don't improve much

0:01:45.576,0:01:47.245
despite our hard work

0:01:47.245,0:01:51.935
is that we tend to spend almost[br]all of our time in the performance zone.

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This hinders our growth,

0:01:53.520,0:01:57.450
and ironically, over the long term,[br]also our performance.

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So what does the learning zone look like?

0:02:00.728,0:02:04.104
Take Demosthenes, a political leader[br]and the greatest orator

0:02:04.104,0:02:06.304
and lawyer in Ancient Greece.

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To become great, he didn't spend[br]all his time just being an orator

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or a lawyer, which would be[br]his performance zone.

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But instead, he did activities[br]designed for improvement.

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Of course, he studied a lot.[br]He studied law and philosophy

0:02:20.314,0:02:21.961
with guidance from mentors,

0:02:21.961,0:02:24.309
but he also realized that being a lawyer

0:02:24.309,0:02:26.684
involved persuading other people,

0:02:26.684,0:02:28.871
so he also studied great speeches

0:02:28.871,0:02:30.820
and acting.

0:02:30.820,0:02:35.070
To get rid of an odd habit he had[br]of involuntarily lifting his shoulder,

0:02:35.070,0:02:37.531
he practiced his speeches[br]in front of a mirror,

0:02:37.531,0:02:40.488
and he suspended a sword from the ceiling

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so that if he raised his shoulder,

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it would hurt.

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(Laughter)

0:02:45.167,0:02:47.568
To speak more clearly despite a lisp,

0:02:47.568,0:02:50.782
he went through his speeches[br]with stones in his mouth.

0:02:50.782,0:02:53.934
He built an underground room where[br]he could practice without interruptions

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and not disturb other people,

0:02:55.473,0:02:58.048
and since courts at the time[br]were very noisy,

0:02:58.048,0:02:59.950
he also practiced by the ocean,

0:02:59.950,0:03:03.664
projecting his voice[br]above the roar of the waves.

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His activities in the learning zone

0:03:05.310,0:03:07.942
were very different[br]from his activities in court,

0:03:07.942,0:03:09.785
his performance zone.

0:03:09.785,0:03:11.258
In the learning zone, he did

0:03:11.258,0:03:13.911
what Dr. Anders Erikson[br]calls deliberate practice.

0:03:13.911,0:03:17.495
This involves breaking down[br]abilities into component skills,

0:03:17.495,0:03:20.351
being clear about what subskill[br]we're working to improve,

0:03:20.351,0:03:22.141
like keeping our shoulders down,

0:03:22.141,0:03:25.852
giving full concentration[br]to a high level of challenge

0:03:25.852,0:03:27.418
outside our comfort zone,

0:03:27.418,0:03:29.296
just beyond what we can currently do,

0:03:29.296,0:03:32.478
using frequent feedback[br]with repetition and adjustments,

0:03:32.478,0:03:35.455
and ideally engaging the guidance[br]of a skilled coach,

0:03:35.455,0:03:37.285
because activities[br]designed for improvement

0:03:37.285,0:03:38.566
are domain-specific,

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and great teachers and coaches[br]know what those activities are

0:03:41.238,0:03:44.262
and can also give us expert feedback.

0:03:44.262,0:03:46.836
It is this type of practice[br]in the learning zone

0:03:46.836,0:03:48.783
which leads to substantial improvement,

0:03:48.783,0:03:51.711
not just time on task performing.

0:03:51.711,0:03:55.179
For example, research shows that[br]after the first couple of years

0:03:55.179,0:03:56.667
working in a profession,

0:03:56.667,0:03:59.099
performance usually plateaus.

0:03:59.099,0:04:02.018
This has been shown to be true[br]in teaching, general medicine,

0:04:02.018,0:04:03.616
nursing, and other fields,

0:04:03.616,0:04:07.387
and it happens because once we think[br]we have become good enough,

0:04:07.387,0:04:11.059
adequate, then we stop spending time[br]in the learning zone.

0:04:11.059,0:04:13.178
We focus all our time on[br]just doing our job,

0:04:13.178,0:04:14.211
performing,

0:04:14.211,0:04:17.078
which turns out not to be[br]a great way to improve.

0:04:17.078,0:04:19.992
But the people who continue[br]to spend time in the learning zone

0:04:19.992,0:04:22.406
do continue to always improve.

0:04:22.406,0:04:24.838
The best salespeople at least once a week

0:04:24.838,0:04:27.570
do activities with[br]the goal of improvement.

0:04:27.570,0:04:29.443
They read to extend their knowledge,

0:04:29.443,0:04:31.874
consult with colleagues or domain experts,

0:04:31.874,0:04:33.162
try out new strategies,[br]solicit feedback, and reflect.

0:04:33.162,0:04:37.145
The best chess players

0:04:37.145,0:04:38.834
spend a lot of time

0:04:38.834,0:04:40.803
not playing games of chess,

0:04:40.803,0:04:43.043
which would be their performance zone,

0:04:43.043,0:04:46.826
but trying to predict the moves[br]grandmasters made and analyzing them.

0:04:46.826,0:04:50.756
Each of us has probably spent[br]many, many, many hours

0:04:50.756,0:04:53.100
typing on a computer

0:04:53.100,0:04:54.459
without getting faster,

0:04:54.459,0:04:58.037
but if we spent 10 to 20 minutes[br]each day fully concentrating

0:04:58.037,0:05:02.870
on typing 10 to 20 percent faster[br]than our current reliable speed,

0:05:02.870,0:05:04.548
we would get faster,

0:05:04.548,0:05:06.753
especially if we also identified[br]what mistakes we're making

0:05:06.753,0:05:09.667
and practiced typing those words.

0:05:09.667,0:05:12.192
That's deliberate practice.

0:05:12.192,0:05:14.175
In what other parts of our lives,

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perhaps that we care more about,

0:05:15.769,0:05:18.565
are we working hard[br]but not improving much

0:05:18.565,0:05:21.718
because we're always[br]in the performance zone?

0:05:21.718,0:05:25.407
Now, this is not to say[br]that the performance zone has no value.

0:05:25.407,0:05:26.797
It very much does.

0:05:26.797,0:05:29.191
When I needed a knee surgery,[br]I didn't tell the surgeon,

0:05:29.191,0:05:31.871
"Poke around in there[br]and focus on what you don't know."

0:05:31.871,0:05:33.209
(Laughter)

0:05:33.209,0:05:35.523
"We'll learn from your mistakes!"

0:05:35.523,0:05:39.246
I looked for a surgeon[br]who I felt would do a good job,

0:05:39.246,0:05:40.999
and I wanted her to do a good job.

0:05:40.999,0:05:44.031
Being in the performance zone[br]allows us to get things done

0:05:44.031,0:05:45.976
as best as we can.

0:05:45.976,0:05:47.490
It can also be motivating,

0:05:47.490,0:05:50.730
and it provides us with information[br]to identify what to focus on next

0:05:50.730,0:05:53.431
when we go back to the learning zone.

0:05:53.431,0:05:56.370
So the way to high performance[br]is to alternate between

0:05:56.370,0:05:58.871
the learning zone[br]and the performance zone,

0:05:58.871,0:06:00.970
purposefully building out skills[br]in the learning zone,

0:06:00.970,0:06:04.693
then applying those skills[br]in the performance zone.

0:06:04.693,0:06:06.895
When Beyonce is on tour,[br]during the concert,

0:06:06.895,0:06:09.520
she's in her performance zone,

0:06:09.520,0:06:12.897
but every night when she gets[br]back to the hotel room,

0:06:12.897,0:06:14.815
she goes right back into[br]her learning zone.

0:06:14.815,0:06:17.554
She watches a video[br]of the show that just ended.

0:06:17.554,0:06:20.245
She identifies opportunities[br]for improvement, for herself,

0:06:20.245,0:06:22.403
her dancers, and her camera staff,

0:06:22.403,0:06:25.461
and the next morning,

0:06:25.461,0:06:26.869
everyone receives pages of notes[br]with what to adjust,

0:06:26.869,0:06:28.656
which they then work on during the day[br]before the next performance.

0:06:28.656,0:06:33.557
It's a spiral[br]to ever-increasing capabilities,

0:06:33.557,0:06:35.467
but we need to know when we seek to learn,

0:06:35.467,0:06:37.098
and when we seek to perform,

0:06:37.098,0:06:38.914
and while we want to spend[br]time doing both,

0:06:38.914,0:06:41.351
the more time we spend[br]in the learning zone,

0:06:41.351,0:06:43.696
the more we'll improve.

0:06:43.696,0:06:46.419
So how can we spend[br]more time in the learning zone?

0:06:46.419,0:06:50.345
First, we must believe and understand

0:06:50.345,0:06:52.262
that we can improve,

0:06:52.262,0:06:53.999
what we call a growth mindset.

0:06:53.999,0:06:57.633
Second, we must want to improve[br]at that particular skill.

0:06:57.633,0:06:59.283
There has to be a purpose we care about,

0:06:59.283,0:07:01.369
because it takes time and effort.

0:07:01.369,0:07:04.739
Third, we must have an idea[br]about how to improve,

0:07:04.739,0:07:06.446
what we can do to improve,

0:07:06.446,0:07:08.885
not how I used to practice[br]the guitar as a teenager,

0:07:08.885,0:07:11.082
performing songs over and over again,

0:07:11.082,0:07:13.303
but doing deliberate practice.

0:07:13.303,0:07:17.003
And fourth, we must be[br]in a low-stakes situation,

0:07:17.003,0:07:19.652
because if mistakes are to be expected,

0:07:19.652,0:07:22.702
then the consequence of make them[br]must not be catastrophic,

0:07:22.702,0:07:24.534
or even very significant.

0:07:24.534,0:07:28.010
A tightrope walker doesn't practice[br]new tricks without a net underneath,

0:07:28.010,0:07:31.545
and an athlete wouldn't set out[br]to try a new move

0:07:31.545,0:07:33.107
during a championship match.

0:07:33.107,0:07:35.035
One reason that in our lives

0:07:35.035,0:07:37.528
we spend so much time in[br]the performance zone

0:07:37.528,0:07:41.972
is that our environments often are,[br]unnecessarily, high stakes.

0:07:41.972,0:07:44.609
We create social risks for one another,

0:07:44.609,0:07:47.642
even in schools which are supposed[br]to be all about learning,

0:07:47.642,0:07:49.478
and I'm not talking about[br]standardized tests.

0:07:49.478,0:07:51.945
I mean that every minute of every day,

0:07:51.945,0:07:54.842
many students in elementary schools[br]through colleges

0:07:54.842,0:07:58.129
feel that if they make a mistake,[br]others will think less of them.

0:07:58.129,0:08:00.430
No wonder they're always stressed out

0:08:00.430,0:08:03.010
and not taking the risks[br]necessary for learning.

0:08:03.010,0:08:05.356
But they learn that[br]mistakes are undesirable

0:08:05.356,0:08:06.421
inadvertently

0:08:06.421,0:08:10.097
when teachers or parents are eager[br]to hear just correct answers

0:08:10.097,0:08:12.694
and reject mistakes rather than[br]welcome and examine them

0:08:12.694,0:08:13.843
to learn from them,

0:08:13.843,0:08:15.493
or when we look for narrow responses

0:08:15.493,0:08:17.260
rather than encourage[br]more exploratory thinking

0:08:17.260,0:08:19.047
that we can all learn from.

0:08:19.047,0:08:22.451
When all homework or student work[br]has a number or a letter on it,

0:08:22.451,0:08:24.307
and counts towards a final grade,

0:08:24.307,0:08:27.790
rather than being used for practice,[br]mistakes, feedback, and revision,

0:08:27.790,0:08:32.577
we send the message that school[br]is a performance zone.

0:08:32.577,0:08:34.565
The same is true in our workplaces.

0:08:34.565,0:08:35.980
In the companies I consult with,

0:08:35.980,0:08:38.500
I often see flawless execution cultures

0:08:38.500,0:08:40.872
which leaders foster[br]to encourage great work,

0:08:40.872,0:08:43.464
but that leads employees[br]to stay within what they know

0:08:43.464,0:08:44.857
and not try new things,

0:08:44.857,0:08:47.456
so companies struggle[br]to innovate and improve,

0:08:47.456,0:08:49.328
and they fall behind.

0:08:49.328,0:08:52.276
We can create more spaces for growth

0:08:52.276,0:08:54.804
by starting conversations with one another

0:08:54.804,0:08:57.224
about when we want to be in each zone.

0:08:57.224,0:08:58.913
What do we want to get better at,

0:08:58.913,0:09:00.082
and how?

0:09:00.082,0:09:03.958
And when do we want to execute[br]and minimize mistakes?

0:09:03.958,0:09:07.344
That way, we gain clarity[br]about what success is,

0:09:07.344,0:09:09.587
when, and how to best support one another.

0:09:09.587,0:09:13.936
But what if we find ourselves[br]in a chronic high-stakes setting

0:09:13.936,0:09:16.797
and we feel we can't[br]start those conversations yet?

0:09:16.797,0:09:19.747
And here are three things that[br]we can still do as individuals.

0:09:19.747,0:09:24.576
First, we can create low-stakes islands[br]in and otherwise high-stakes sea.

0:09:24.576,0:09:27.343
These are spaces where mistakes[br]have little consequence.

0:09:27.343,0:09:31.090
For example, we might find a mentor[br]or a trusted colleague

0:09:31.090,0:09:34.262
with whom we can exchange ideas[br]or have vulnerable conversations

0:09:34.262,0:09:35.509
or even role play,

0:09:35.509,0:09:39.076
or we can ask for feedback-oriented meetings as projects progress.

0:09:39.076,0:09:43.381
Or we can set aside time to read[br]or watch videos or take online courses.

0:09:43.381,0:09:45.410
Those are just some examples.

0:09:45.410,0:09:49.706
Second, we can execute and perform[br]as we're expected,

0:09:49.706,0:09:52.279
but then reflect on what we could[br]do better next time,

0:09:52.279,0:09:53.526
like Beyonce does,

0:09:53.526,0:09:56.008
and we can observe and emulate experts.

0:09:56.008,0:09:59.885
The observation, reflection,[br]and adjustment is a learning zone.

0:09:59.885,0:10:02.425
And finally, we can lead,

0:10:02.425,0:10:06.604
and lower the stakes for others[br]by sharing what we want to get better at,

0:10:06.604,0:10:09.058
by asking questions[br]about what we don't know,

0:10:09.058,0:10:11.582
by soliciting feedback[br]and by sharing our mistakes

0:10:11.582,0:10:13.084
and what we've learned from them,

0:10:13.084,0:10:16.024
so that others can feel safe[br]to do the same.

0:10:16.024,0:10:19.925
Real confidence is about modeling[br]ongoing learning.

0:10:19.925,0:10:25.153
What if, instead of spending[br]our lives doing, doing, doing,

0:10:25.153,0:10:27.400
performing, performing, performing,

0:10:27.400,0:10:29.937
we spent more time exploring,

0:10:29.937,0:10:31.843
asking,

0:10:31.843,0:10:33.405
listening,

0:10:33.405,0:10:36.643
experimenting, reflecting,

0:10:36.643,0:10:40.199
striving, and becoming?

0:10:40.199,0:10:44.739
What if we each always had something

0:10:44.739,0:10:46.007
we were working to improve?

0:10:46.007,0:10:48.209
What if we created more low-stakes islands

0:10:48.209,0:10:50.020
and waters?

0:10:50.020,0:10:52.406
And what if we got clear,

0:10:52.406,0:10:54.489
within ourselves and with our teammates,

0:10:54.489,0:10:56.352
about when we seek to learn

0:10:56.352,0:10:58.281
and when we seek to perform,

0:10:58.281,0:11:01.147
so that our efforts[br]can be more consequential,

0:11:01.147,0:11:03.795
our improvement never-ending,

0:11:03.795,0:11:07.189
and our best even better?

0:11:07.189,0:11:08.041
Thank you.

0:11:08.041,0:11:09.039
(Applause)