The players who performed in those moments weren’t figuring it out on the fly. They were executing skills they had built over thousands of hours of practice, coaching, and film study. The preparation happened long before tip-off. Game day was just the performance.
This got me thinking about the typical first-time manager in manufacturing.
They get promoted off the floor because they were excellent individual performers. Then they walk into their first difficult conversation with a direct report, their first presentation to the VP, their first moment where the whole team looks to them to see how they’re going to handle something — and they’re expected to figure it out in real time. On game day. With real consequences.
No practice. No repetitions. No coach in their corner helping them build the skills before the moment arrives.
In 25 years running operations and leading teams in manufacturing, I’ve watched more talented managers struggle not because they weren’t capable — but because they never had the chance to practice.
Conflict navigation. Executive presence. Communicating up. These are skills. Learnable, repeatable, coachable skills. But only if someone treats them like skills worth practicing — instead of things you’re just supposed to figure out under fire.
The best leaders I’ve worked with treated their craft exactly the way a serious athlete treats theirs. They sought out feedback. They ran the reps. They studied the film.
Most managers never get that opportunity. I think that’s worth changing.
When you got promoted into your first leadership role — what did your “practice” look like? Did you have any?
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