The Making of an Expert

In “The Making of an Expert,” K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T. Cokely challenge the belief that elite performance is mostly the result of natural talent. Published in the July–August 2007 issue of Harvard Business Review, the article argues that true expertise is built through years of deliberate practice, expert coaching, feedback, and disciplined improvement.

Executive Summary for Business Leaders

The article’s core message is highly relevant for executives: expertise is not simply hired, inherited, or accumulated through years of experience; it must be intentionally developed. The authors show that high performers across fields such as chess, music, medicine, sports, and leadership improve through structured practice that pushes them beyond their comfort zone.

For business leaders, the implication is clear: organizations should stop treating talent as fixed and start designing environments where people can build mastery. That means giving employees stretch assignments, coaching, specific feedback, time to practice, and opportunities to analyze mistakes.

Overarching Theme

Expertise is made, not born — and organizations can build it through deliberate practice.

The article reframes talent development as a leadership system. Great performance does not come from repetition alone; it comes from focused, feedback-rich practice aimed at improving specific weaknesses.

Major Takeaways

1. Experience is not the same as expertise.
Someone can spend years in a role without becoming an expert. Expertise requires measurable improvement, not just time served.

2. Deliberate practice is different from ordinary practice.
The authors emphasize that elite performers focus on tasks they cannot yet do well, analyze mistakes, and work deliberately to correct them.

3. Coaching matters.
High performers usually benefit from expert teachers, coaches, or mentors who provide direct feedback and help them practice the right things.

4. Leaders can practice leadership skills deliberately.
The article applies this idea to management and leadership, noting that capabilities such as persuasion, communication, and executive presence can be improved through structured practice.

5. Expertise takes sustained commitment.
The path to elite performance is long, demanding, and uncomfortable. The authors note that becoming an expert typically requires at least a decade of serious development.

Leadership Talking Points

• “Are we developing expertise intentionally, or assuming it will emerge through experience?”
• “Where do our leaders need deliberate practice, not just training?”
• “Do our employees receive enough specific feedback to improve?”
• “Are stretch assignments designed to build capability, or just to fill urgent business needs?”
• “Do we reward learning and improvement as much as performance outcomes?”
• “Where are we confusing confidence, tenure, or charisma with true expertise?”

Reflection Questions

• Which roles in our organization require true expertise, not just competence?
• Do we have a clear development path for building mastery in those roles?
• Are managers trained to coach, observe, and give useful feedback?
• Where are employees repeating familiar work instead of practicing harder, higher-value skills?
• Are our leadership development programs built around practice and feedback, or mostly classroom learning?
• What would deliberate practice look like for our executives, managers, sales teams, engineers, or frontline leaders?

Potential Action Items

• Identify the critical skills that separate average performers from expert performers in key roles.
• Build deliberate practice routines into leadership development, sales training, customer service, and technical learning.
• Pair high-potential employees with skilled coaches or expert practitioners.
• Replace generic feedback with specific, behavior-based feedback.
• Use simulations, case studies, role plays, after-action reviews, and scenario practice to build judgment.
• Give employees time to practice difficult skills before expecting mastery in live business situations.
• Measure improvement over time, not just completion of training programs.

Similar Articles to Recommend

“The Leader as Coach” — a strong companion article on why modern leaders need to move from giving answers to helping others develop their own judgment and capability.

“Most Managers Don’t Know How to Coach People. But They Can Learn.” — useful for organizations that want to turn coaching from a vague leadership aspiration into a trainable management skill.

“Transform Your Technical Expertise into Leadership” — relevant for high-performing technical experts who are promoted into leadership roles and need to build a new set of capabilities.

“4 Styles of Coaching—and When to Use Them” — a practical follow-up on adapting coaching approaches to different people and situations.

“A Fast Track to 10,000 Hours of Practice” — a related HBR piece on the popular idea of practice hours and how organizations can think more carefully about accelerating skill development.