Advice: Practice like you play

When I was growing up, my dad always used to tell me: "You practice like you play." His point was that you couldn't goof off during baseball practice, and then expect to miraculously "turn it on" during a game. The things you practice become habit and, under pressure, you will revert to the things you have practiced.

As you'll see in this quote from today's Wall Street Journal, Democrat strategist, turned Wal-Mart strategist, Leslie Dach understands this:

Q: During the 2000 campaign, you prepared Al Gore for debates. We've heard that you left no detail unnoticed, even matching the room temperature during practices to what it would be during the debate.

A: You have to rehearse the body at the same temperature and at the same time of day, because people have body rhythms. And if the debate is at 9 at night, you have to perform at 9 at night.

A funny part of this on the Wal-Mart side: We did a little preparation with Mr. [Wal-Mart CEO Lee] Scott for the Charlie Rose interview [in July]. Mr. Rose has a large wooden table that he does the interviews at. I wanted to do our rehearsal at a similar table. We tried to get a big round wooden table. But Wal-Mart being Wal-Mart, they brought in a small, round white plastic patio table. That's what we used, because of course, Wal-Mart wasn't about to go find a large wooden table when they could buy one at Wal-Mart for $3.98. My first attempt to replicate real-world surroundings at Wal-Mart was a failure.