In my early days as a manager, I felt ill-equipped to handle the complex responsibilities I'd face in my career.

I fell into a pit of distraction, trying to juggle too many balls. I wasn't alone. Small businesses worldwide echo similar feelings.

The problem?

People don't have the skills to execute at the level of their current responsibilities.

It's called The Peter Principle, which states people in a hierarchy rise through promotion to their level of respective incompetence. Competent people who are highly skilled at one role will eventually be promoted into positions where they're incompetent.

And the scary part is, they'll remain there because they do not show any more competence for further promotion.

This is true whether you're an individual trying to hustle your way up the ranks, a leader, or a business owner who tries to do it all.

Traditional training doesn't cut it.

I stumbled around, even after getting an "MBA," which was supposed to prepare me for the business world. I needed something new, dynamic, and in line with our fast-paced world—not some ancient textbook.

Small business teams need a practical, actionable, and adaptable training structure for improving work skills.

The LPE Framework.

LPE Framework is not your school system training.

It's a powerful method to learn and retain information to equip you to succeed on whatever journey you're embarking on.

Here's how it works.

First:

Learn through books, courses, and conversations.

Submerge yourself in knowledge. This is classroom-style learning. But don't just stop at reading. Go beyond. Take a course. Have conversations. Debate, teach, discuss, and reflect.

Second:

Practice in low-risk environments.

No one becomes a maestro overnight. You'll make mistakes, but wouldn't you rather make them in a controlled setting than in front of a crucial client or during a critical project?

Absolutely not.

The most skilled athletes practice relentlessly for the game.

Third:

Execute in the real world.

This is the litmus test. Apply what you've learned and practiced in real, high-stakes situations. Execution differentiates leaders from dreamers.

Eventually, you have to apply what you've learned in the game.

That's how you structure skill development: learn, practice, and execute, but we can't stop there.

Now, we have to break down the skills you want to improve into micro-skills and plan how you will tackle developing them.

Plan on improving work skills with the deliberate practice LPE training template.

It's one thing to say I need to learn leadership, and then pick up a book and feel like you're learning.

Most of the time, you're not. You're passively reading, and cool, that's fine, but it's our goal to build you into a skill-building badass.

Do this:

Step 1: Plan your skills.

Macro Skill: Decide on the overarching skill you want to improve (e.g., leadership).

Micro Skill: Dive into the specifics. If the macro skill is leadership, then the micro skill you will focus on could be having accountability conversations. The micro-skill is where you'll put all your skill development attention.

Timeframe: Set clear deadlines. In what timeframe will you develop this micro skill?

Practice days/times: Commit. No fluff here. Set aside dedicated time to work on this micro-skill. It's in these time blocks that you'll learn and practice.

Current Measurable: Where are you now? What measure gives you feedback on your leadership or accountability conversation skills? Team performance? Turnover?

Target Measurable: Where do you want to be?

Step 2: Get clear on the Learn, Practice, and Execute blocks.

Learn Task: Here, you'll identify the resources you'll use to learn your micro skill. It could be a book, a video, or a course. Whatever.

Practice Task: Design low-risk scenarios to practice. You can role-play with a peer, your spouse, or whatever helps you practice the micro-skill best.

Execute Task: Challenge yourself in the real world. For accountability conversations, you could implement this in your weekly one-on-ones. Iterate and improve.

Plug these sections into any tool that helps you plan your skill development.

There are tools like Google Sheets, Notion, or Asana that can help you plan on improving your work skills.

They aren't just for to-do lists; they're your growth map.

Plug the LPE training template sections into the tool that will best help you plan and execute your development.

Here's an example in Google Sheets:

Being deliberate about practice is not an option; it's a must.

Are you investing in growth or rotting away?

Improving work skills requires action.

Now, act.

Grab the template. Plan, execute, and soar. Your future role is waiting.

Don't disappoint it.