Pretending is practice

Sometimes I catch myself looking for ways to get better at something - without actually doing it.

Books, cheat sheets, courses. Lately, asking ChatGPT or Claude for help.

But there is no substitute, and there will never be a substitute, for practice. Head down, intentional practice.

This applies to leadership. It applies to difficult decisions and difficult conversations. It applies to pretending like you know what you’re doing.

The more you practice, the less you have to pretend.