Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Something I Taught:

Several years ago, I walked into a local community center and saw a sign about Krav Maga classes that were offered there. For some crazy reason, I've always enjoyed this type of stuff, so I went back next Tuesday evening to find out more.

Krav Maga is a martial art and self-defense system developed in Israel. It focuses on practical techniques for real-world situations, emphasizing efficient and instinctive movements to defend against various threats, including armed and unarmed attackers. It prioritizes simplicity and effectiveness. The Israeli special forces use it to take people out as quickly as possible.

I decided to join.

Very quickly I learned there were a LOT of very experienced people in the class. It consisted mainly of police officers, ex-military, and prison guards. It takes years to earn a black belt in the system. We had several in the class and the teachers were excellent!

Back in Charlotte when I was in my teens I'd been involved in boxing. Everything revolved around being fast. For instance, we used what is called a "speed bag," a small bag hanging from a hook that we practiced on to improve our hand-eye coordination, timing, and rhythm. It was all about speed. If you were slow in the ring, pain followed soon after. 😆

In our last newsletter I discussed the 4 stages of learning:

There was one instructor named Bill who worked individually with me during my first few sessions. I found the movements very uncomfortable at first. Bill would show me a simple technique, explaining how to do it and the reasons behind it. Then he would have me do it to him. Looked simple enough, but when I tried these things, I felt very uncoordinated.

I was definitely at the stage of Conscious Incompetence. I knew what I was doing but I couldn't do it without conscious effort.

He kept saying to me, "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." I would do 3 or 4 of the movements slow, and then unconsciously start going faster. I accidentally hit Bill a few times!

Needless to say, Bill didn't like being hit! And Bill was a black belt. He had years of experience. He would give me this look. . . I don't need to try to describe it, but I knew it wasn't one I wanted to see often.

Over the weeks, I learned to slow down. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. I had to consciously slow down to do the techniques as close to perfectly as possible.

Training in martial arts (or in anything you want to excel at) is like building a strong foundation for a house. If you rush through the construction process, neglecting the details and cutting corners, you may have a house standing quickly. But it won't withstand the test of time.

But if you take your time making sure each brick is laid carefully, your house will remain sturdy for generations.

Some of what I do with my clients involves helping them to improve in their leadership, communication, organizational skills, etc. These are complex skills and take time to master. So we go after one thing at a time. And they utilize the time between our sessions to Practice Slow. After a while, their competence goes up. It starts to become natural to them. And then after more time has passed, they don’t even have to think about it.

I guide my clients through a journey of deliberate practice, helping them focus on mastering one skill at a time, gradually transforming complexity into competence, until their newfound abilities become second nature.

So what do you want to get better at? Remember, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Something to Ponder:

"Remember, the journey to mastery is not a sprint but a marathon. Embrace the power of slow, deliberate practice, for it is the path to true mastery."

Something I Learned:

I was working recently with a leader who has people in multiple locations. We were talking about how we train people to communicate with us. Many leaders answer every question for their folks. While this comes from a good place, what it ends up teaching their people is to constantly inundate them with calls, emails, etc., even for relatively small things. So my client told me this:

"I always wait at least 15 minutes before calling them (the employee) back. This raises up leaders because they learn to think for themselves. A good day is when I don’t get a call."

Brilliant! ✨

And by the way, this works for our children too! 👍🏻

Something I Saw:

Who comes to mind who would benefit from this newsletter? Just copy and paste this link: RobertMallon.com/Newsletter

Hope you have an incredible week!

Robert

Minute With Mallon: Building a Strong Foundation: Slow Progress, Lasting Success