Last week we discussed focusing on the process instead of the scoreboard. This week, a harder question: How long are you willing to follow the process when the scoreboard doesn’t change?
Most people quit before they find out. They start with enthusiasm, but weeks pass without visible progress. The gap between effort and outcome becomes unbearable, and they conclude the process isn’t working. What they’re missing is that high-level mastery in any field requires the ability to delay gratification for years while you accumulate invisible work.
The Violinist
A violinist pursuing world-class mastery faces a daunting challenge. The path requires years of disciplined practice before any artistic leap becomes visible. Early on, the work is mechanical: scales, bow technique, posture, finger placement, hours of repetition to build muscle memory and precision. The sound improves slowly, the progress is subtle.
A student practices six hours a day for two years. Their playing is competent, possibly even good, but not distinctive. Most people stop at this point because they assume they don’t have what it takes. But the violinist who continues discovers something different.
James Clear calls this the plateau of latent potential. You practice for months without visible progress, then suddenly you break through. The thousands of hours you invested compound, and technical skill becomes artistic expression. The work was never wasted. It was stored. But you only benefit if you stay in long enough for the accumulation to pay off.
How You Think About the Work
Adam Grant’s research on motivation explains why some musicians persist and others don’t. The difference is not talent. It’s how they think about practice.
One violinist thinks, “I have to practice.” Another thinks, “I get to practice.” The first sees obligation, and effort feels like something to endure. When results don’t appear quickly, frustration builds and the work feels pointless. The second sees it as a privilege. They understand that mastery is rare because most people quit before reaching it. Access to great instruction, time to develop skill, and the opportunity to pursue excellence are not guarantees.
This reframe changes persistence. The violinist who views practice as a burden endures it until they can’t anymore. The violinist who views it as a privilege pursues it because few people get the chance. One quits when progress slows. The other continues because they love the work itself.
My Own Version
In 1989, I decided I wanted to become a recognized authority in business and leadership. At the time, nobody knew who I was. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I made a checklist of everything I would need to do to reach the level of the most respected figures in my field. One item on that list was constantly studying and honing my craft.
I committed to reading a minimum of 100 business books per year. People often ask me how I have the discipline to read so much. I tell them it doesn’t take discipline because I love it. I don’t have to read, I get to read.Â
This doesn’t make me a genius, it just means I’ve had exposure to more business ideas than most people. When you combine that level of study with the hundreds of companies I’ve worked with over three decades, it creates a foundation of knowledge and pattern recognition that few professionals develop.
I didn’t see the results of that commitment in year one, or year five, or year ten. But I stayed with the process because I understood that if I continued on that path it would eventually lead me to my goal.
Where Most People Stop
High-level mastery, whether in music, business, or any complex skill, is rarely about only talent. It’s the willingness to embrace years of disciplined practice without immediate reward. You won’t see progress every day. Some weeks, it will feel like you’re moving backward, and the scoreboard won’t change for a long time. The violinist practicing scales for the thousandth time isn’t wasting effort. They’re building the platform for mastery.
At the end of each year, I review what I see working and failing across organizations I advise worldwide.
In this video, I share what deserves real attention in 2026 and what most leaders are over-investing in. If you’re setting priorities for the year ahead, start here.
