Engagement Technique: 10,000 Hours

Have you heard of the 10,000-hour rule? The idea that it takes roughly that long to truly master a skill. It came from Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, inspired by research on how deliberate practice leads to expertise.

The concept is inspiring… but it’s also been misunderstood. It’s not just about putting in hours, it’s about sustained effort, focus, and growth over time. Psychologist Angela Duckworth calls that quality grit: passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit is what keeps people going when motivation dips and progress feels slow.

But – and this is key – in work, grit must be sustainable. We’re not all elite athletes or concert pianists. In organisations, high performance only lasts when people have the right balance of challenge, support, and reward.

At HumanOS (featured in The State of Engagement with founder Bianca), they talk about sustainable high performance – the idea that pushing hard only works when you also have recovery, purpose, and psychological safety. Otherwise, you don’t get mastery; you get burnout.

That’s where your EVP (Employee Value Proposition) comes in, ensuring employees see a personal “what’s in it for me” alongside what they’re giving back to the business.

10,000 Hours – The Exercise

Here is a brilliant and very simple reflection exercise you could use with these theories, for team meetings or development sessions.

Ask each person:
- What do you want to master?
- What would you love to spend your 10,000 hours on?
If they’ve already started, how far along do they think they are?
If they haven’t started, what’s the first hour going to be?

Encourage open conversation. The idea isn’t to see who’s further along their journey, it’s to learn more about that journey. The idea is to encourage discussion on purpose, curiosity, and what drives people personally and professionally.

In group discussions, people often find shared interests or goals they didn’t know existed. You might discover someone’s been quietly learning a language, perfecting a hobby, or aiming to lead a department one day. More engagement, more transparency, and stronger bonds.

Why it works

It helps employees connect their long-term goals to their day-to-day work.
It opens up conversations about growth, motivation, and development.
It shows leaders where to support people’s ambitions.
It reinforces that mastery isn’t about endless effort — it’s about meaningful progress.

What to watch out for

Avoid glorifying overwork, this isn’t a “grind harder” exercise. That kind of tone can alienate those and discourage people coming forward.
Keep it positive and realistic: effort is valuable, but recovery and wellbeing matter too. If people haven’t figured out what they want to put their 10,000 hours in, that’s ok. Help by thinking about what they enjoy, what hobbies they might have, or what could be on their bucket list.
If you’ve defined your EVP, see if you can link it to this – so people see how their personal growth aligns with the organisation’s purpose. Although don’t penalise people if it doesn’t!

The takeaway

Mastery takes time, but engagement makes it possible. The 10,000 Hours Exercise helps teams reflect on what they want to be great at, and how the business can support them to get there, sustainably.

This post is part of our Engagement Techniques series of practical, low-cost ideas to bring more connection and meaning into work. Find the rest here

👉 Want to explore techniques like this in more depth? I run interactive employee engagement workshops where we bring these ideas to life.