The "expert beginner" concept almost gets it right, but it needs a little tweaking. The key insight is that growth stalls out when people lock into a sub-par se

The "expert beginner" concept almost gets it right, but it needs a little tweaking. The key insight is that growth stalls out when people lock into a sub-par set of habits ... and then spend years perfecting this not-so-good approach. I've seen the same thing happen with journalists (oh, my God, it is chronic and horrible there), and with chess players, musicians and all sorts of other specialists at various crafts and creative skills. These people trap themselves with habits that prevent them from ever being great, yet are just marketable enough that they can earn a living for a long time. The rot doesn't always set in exactly at the "advanced beginner" stage. It occurs whenever people's willingness to rebuild their game disappears, or whenever they fall under the sway of a mentor/boss who demands conformity to B-minus work practices.