Do you know the 4 levels of competency?

Where are you with your dreams?
When learning anything, there are four different levels of competency. (The flip-side of that is that there are four levels of suckage too!)

I try to be aware of these when I’m going through the learning stages of something because it is encouraging to know that I am moving through them as I should. Too often we look at someone who is accomplished in a skill (and in the fourth level) and look down on ourselves for not being there.

Check these out and take some comfort in knowing that you might be exactly where you should be. Also be encouraged that you can progress along.

Note: Normally I try and put a bit more positive spin on things instead of defining them in terms of how much one “sucks”. However, I hope that the blatant attempt at humor will help the levels stick in your head without making you think that you are that one that sucks at everything.

1. Unconscious Incompetence  - One doesn’t know that one sucks

Ignorance is bliss…well, sometimes.

In this first stage of competency, you just don’t know what you just don’t know. You’re going about your daily life completely unaware that you lack knowledge or skill in a given area.

The good news is, you may not even be trying to do the thing that you lack the knowledge or skill for. The bad news…you might be doing something in a much more difficult manner than you really need to. Either way, you are totally unaware of your lack of skill.

Something will have to happen to change all of this.

2. Conscious Incompetence – One is aware of one’s suckage

Ok, something happened to change all of that.

Perhaps, you tried to do “that thing” only to realize that…well…you suck. Maybe you were ASKED how to do something and realized that you didn’t even know the first place to begin. (I can’t help but think that Google gets used more in this level than any other.) Regardless, that blissful ignorance you were previously enjoying is now a thing of the past: you are officially aware of your incompetence.

This step usually requires the most work. Not only do you have to evaluate the thing being questioned, but then you have to learn it.

Hopefully you can progress to the third level.

3. Conscious Competence – One’s suckage is no more but one has to be intentional about their non-suckage

This “learning how” will hopefully bring you to the next phase. Once you’ve gotten enough skills down that you can actually perform the desired action, you start becoming one of the competent. Now that thing you DIDN’T know how to do is that thing you DO know how to do.

And it’s not just knowing how, but you are actually DOING it!

The only problem now, is that you are still very aware of each of the steps that you are taking. It’s not coming naturally, not yet at least. You feel a reward in being able to do this thing that previously you could not do…but there is also the possibility of frustration as it may require a lot of mind power to perform.

Keep working at it and you could end up in level four.

4. Unconscious Competence – One’s non-suckage is now a natural extension of oneself

Which brings us to the last, and in my opinion, the most desired level of learning: Unconscious Competency.

Not only do you know how to do that something, but you no longer have to think about it anymore. For me, picking up texture and a trowel and being able to work on my house while carrying on a conversation and having the radio on…well, that was where I wanted to be. And in fact, I can say that I am now there. (For those of you that are super ambitious, please don’t converse or have the radio on while performing brain surgery though.)

This is the best level to be at if you have a skill you need to know. It just comes naturally for you even though others might be struggling with it.

This level only comes by progressing through the other levels and camping out at each one. But having the right skills at this level makes obtaining your dreams so much easier.

Where are you with your dreams?
I am working towards goals in my own life. In some of the areas, I feel that I am beginning to cross from incompetent to competent. I’m still very aware of my actions and have to choose new ways of thinking over older patterns, but I’m starting to get it.

Hopefully I’ll never get to the point where I’m NOT moving this direction in at least a few things.

Start thinking about where you are at regarding your dreams. Think of specific dreams and the skills necessary to reach them.

What things do you suck at that are necessary for your dreams to come true?