Wednesday 24 October 2012

Perfect practise

You'll have heard the phrase, practise makes perfect. Sadly that is not correct as practise is only any good if you are practising the right things properly. Otherwise you get better at making mistakes. Let me explain. Today was a day off training but I was running a breakfast meeting for my clients and the guest speaker was Justin Urquhart Stewart of Seven Investment Management. If you watch the BBC you'll see this eloquent investment commentator who wares the red braces - it's his brand. He is a true professional and he speaks without notes, seemingly easily. However I also had the pleasure of his company the night before and the same phrases were being used. I know just how hard he works at researching the information and rehearsing his presentation, before he stands up in front of his audience. He is a true professional who makes it look easy. If we relate this to swimming, cycling, running or any other discipline then it's exactly the same. It takes perfect practise to deliver excellence and it requires a mindset to reach that level of professionalism. Today might have been a day off training, but I learned a lot. Thanks Justin.