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Train Your Customer Muscle
If business tasks are not as natural as breathing, your business will suffocate.
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Muscle memory is an interesting concept: Do something over and over again, and eventually your body does it automatically, without you having to even think about it. Any coach or drill instructor will tell you how important it is to repeat an activity until it becomes second nature. Music teachers make students play scales over and over, and even the most skilled sight-readers will practice a song until they can play it flawlessly, rather than rely on staring at sheet music. I still find my arms going through the motions of a martial art I studied many years ago, and my fingers can fly through all the valve fingerings for a trumpet. Yes, it makes me look twitchy and weird sometimes, but if there's ever a kung fu battle of the bands, I know I can hold my own.
This incredibly useful training tool seems to get tossed out the window when discussing anything beyond physical performance, and I think that's a mistake. When I was growing up, people always told me my biggest muscle was my brain. While I don't think it was intended as a compliment, they were more right than you might think. Everything we do benefits from repetition and familiarity, and business tasks are no exception. It's why we make a distinction between visionaries and practitioners.
There's an old joke that doctors (or lawyers or consultants) call their business a practice because they haven't gotten it right yet. It's not so far from the truth; good doctors (or lawyers or consultants) will keep an eye on news in their field—be it new medication, surgical technique, case law, or business strategy—see how it fits with their client work, and learn how to do it. Learning your job doesn't stop when you hang out a shingle.
Read the entire Marshall Lager article
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