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The most powerful way to do this is by having the courage to say, "I believe in you," in whatever words and way are comfortable for you. These four words--or their equivalents--constitute the most inspirational message a leader can convey. There are many different ways to do it, but the fundamental and underlying message must always be the same: "I believe in you. I know you can do the job."

Spend more time learning from others - it might be your retired neighbour, your elderly grandparents, your children or an ex-boss. Your wisdom grows as you spend time discussing your dreams, challenges and concerns with a range of different people.

This brings us to the question of what deliberate practice actually requires. Its core components are usually identified as follows: (1) your attention is focused tightly on a specific skill you're trying to improve or an idea you're trying to master; (2) you receive feedback so you can correct your approach to keep your attention exactly where it's most productive.

Radical candor is giving feedback in a way that both challenges directly and cares personally (upper right quadrant of the matrix). Your feedback is completely candid and gets to the root of an issue, its radical form. It goes hand in hand with deliberate practice because this type of feedback is exactly the type that should be given in a deliberate practice session: a specific account of what the person could be doing better at a particular skill they are trying to improve.

'Isn't it better to know what other people already know about you? Why stay blind to how you are perceived?'

To effectively practice a skill without a teacher, it helps to keep in mind three Fs: Focus. Feedback. Fix it. Break the skill down into components that you can do repeatedly and analyze effectively, determine your weaknesses, and figure out ways to address them.

The third flaw is distance. The further we are from the results of our decisions, the easier it is to keep our current views rather than update them.

"How can I do better?" "What am I doing that I don't know?" "What am I not doing that I don't see?" These questions can lead to so many benefits. And believe me, the truth hurts. Even when I have solicited feedback, any judgment can feel harsh. But the upside of painful knowledge is so much greater than the downside of blissful ignorance.

The Second Way enables the fast and constant flow of feedback from right to left at all stages of our value stream. It requires that we amplify feedback to prevent problems from happening again, or enable faster detection and recovery.

Those who fear and avoid feedback because it might damage their cherished positive self-image might feel better in the short term, but will quickly fall behind in actual performance

"It's not about the person, it's about the profession." In other words, teams need to be critical of each other's professional work without being hurtful to one another.

Generally speaking, meaningful positive feedback is one of the crucial factors in maintaining motivation. It can be internal feedback, such as the satisfaction of seeing yourself improve at something, or external feedback provided by others, but it makes a huge difference in whether a person will be able to maintain the consistent effort necessary to improve through purposeful practice.