This is a pretty deep subject. I'm sure there are lots of philosophies and opinions. Here's mine...
1. Learn the technique.
2. Develop consistency.
Generally people who are good at something do that thing exactly the same way every time. Regarding track riding, this is why we memorize reference points - so every lap can be as consistent as possible. Some people seem to have more natural ability to do this than others. School, coaching, books, instructional videos, etc., will show you how. Once you can do that thing the way the experts have proven it should be done, then you have to figure out how to do it the same way every time. When you reach the point where you are doing something "right" and consistently without having to really think about the technique, people will look at you as an expert. If you have natural ability to master an activity to this point, then you can start looking for ways to improve on what the experts taught you.
What is considered "good" always evolves. How often are sports records broken? When someone outperforms what everyone thought was as good as it could get, everyone studies what the record breaker did and imitates them. It's been my experience in those few things I'm actually good at, that doing it correctly, then repeat exactly the same way is the key. Usually, when you look back at a sub-par performance, you can identify the point where you did something differently from before. Occasionally, if you do it better than before, you might create a new technique that others will imitate.