Last weekend I attended an
FCA Coaches ministry event in my state and marveled at the authority carried by
our presenter, the depth of his understanding of the material he presented, and
the way the whole room of 100+ coaches were riveted to his presentation. There
are dozens of others who are certified to present this material, and many of
them do it quite well, but no one carries the same weight of authenticity that
we experience when this man is at the front of the room. Why is that?
It’s not about the material,
they each have the same notes, the same presentations, even the same movie
clips. It’s not a matter of intellect; each of the presenters have plenty of
intelligence, plenty of knowledge, and plenty of capacity. It’s not even a
matter of personality; there are lots of dynamic men and women presenting this
model of ministry. So what is it?
As I drove home Saturday
evening, I think I arrived at the answer. It’s found in Malcolm Gladwell’s
excellent book, Outliers, that I read several years ago. Chapter two of that
book is titled, “The 10,000 Hour Rule.” Page forty contains this paragraph, “The
emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is
required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class
expert – in anything.” - Daniel Levitin “In study after study, of composers,
basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess
players, master criminals, and what have you, this number comes up again and
again. Of course, this doesn’t address why come people get more out of their
practice sessions than others do. But no one has yet found a case in which true
world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the
brain this long to assimilate all that is needs to know to achieve true
mastery.”
I read that book nine years
ago and immediately agreed with his premise and the excellent examples in the
book. I have also observed it in action in some people I know who are
world-class experts in their fields. It was worked out in front of me on
Saturday and I began to apply these ideas to the world of sports chaplaincy.
In my monthly conference calls
with sports chaplaincy colleagues from around the USA, I regularly ask, “How
long did it take for you to get a handle on this role and to feel like you knew
what you were doing?” Most are humble and realistic enough to say that they
haven’t arrived at that point yet. Wise answer. Let’s consider some math and
some scenarios about how long it may take to get to 10,000 hours and to achieve
world-class mastery of sports chaplaincy.
For this exercise I’ll paint
a picture using American Football chaplaincy among university teams as a
premise.
Scenario A – (much like the schedule of a volunteer
chaplain)
Four weeks of preseason practices, 30 minutes at practice x
6 days = 3 hours per week, 12 hours total.
Four weeks of preseason meetings and meals at 1 hour each x
6 days = 6 hours per week, 24 hours total.
Two preseason chapels at 15 minutes each = .5 hours total.
A 12 game season attending three practices per week at 30
minutes each = 90 minutes per week, 18 hours total.
12 game days at 7 hours per week, 84 hours total.
6 travel days at 10 hours per week, 60 hours total.
Total hours per
season = 198.5 10,000 hours /
198.5 = 50 seasons to attain world-class mastery.
Scenario B – (Let’s suppose one spends much more time
with the team per week.)
Four weeks of preseason practices, 2 hours at practice x 6
days = 12 hours per week, 48 hours total.
Four weeks of preseason meetings and meals at 2 hours each
x 6 days = 12 hours per week, 48 hours total.
Two preseason chapels at 15 minutes each = .5 hours total.
A 12 game season attending five practices per week at 2
hours each = 10 hours per week, 120 hours total.
12 game days at 7 hours per week, 84 hours total.
6 travel days at 10 hours per week, 60 hours total.
Total hours per
season = 360.5 10,000 hours / 360.5
= 27+ seasons to attain world-class mastery.
Scenario C – (Let’s suppose you are a staff member and sports
chaplaincy is your full-time occupation, working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks
per year.)
Total hours per year
= 2,000 10,000 hours / 2,000
= 5 seasons to attain world-class mastery.
In my experience, there are
lots of people in Scenario A, fewer in Scenario B, and very few in Scenario C. In any case, to accumulate 10,000 hours in
serving as a sports chaplain will take a very long time. Few of us will
invest that much time into a voluntary ministry opportunity. So what’s the
point?
There are actually several points:
1.
Watch
your attitude. If you think you have this all figured out,
you are probably wrong. Unless you have amassed the 10,000 hours to be seen as
a world-class expert in this matter, keep yourself in position to learn.
2.
Keep at
it. Overnight sensations are never that. Most people
who achieve powerfully have toiled in obscurity for thousands of hours, honing their
skills, mastering their craft before anyone really noticed. Be that committed
to your service and press on.
3.
Appreciate
excellence when you see it. When you encounter someone who seems to have
what all the others pretend to have, pay attention, ask questions, learn from him
or her. That person has likely invested the time, the effort, and the attention
to become as proficient as he or she is.
4.
Strive
to become a world-class master of your craft. Set your course toward
excellence and don’t be detoured. Read and learn widely. Ask good questions of
those who excel. Find and spend time with wise mentors. Commit to your task and
practice purposeful neglect. Set aside the petty distractions and get your
10,000 hours in.
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