When we begin a new job, we pass through several phases of competency at that job. During each phase, we may experience difference emotions which we may misinterpret. To avoid making the wrong decision, learn to recognize the Four Competencies and your current state in each context of your job.

A skill is a series of steps that accomplish a task. Anyone can learn a skill such that they will have enough competency to complete the task. Any time we are faced with new skills and situations to which we must adapt, we find ourselves starting over again in the life cycle of the Four Competencies.

The Four Competencies:

1. Unconscious Incompetence
2. Conscious Incompetence
3. Conscious Competence
4. Unconscious Competence

These stages of learning are well-known amongst masters of Japanese martial arts. Novices who first take up a craft will at first believe that it is not that difficult, and they will be completely unaware of just how incompetent they are. They will flail their arms and legs about with horrible posture, no balance, and a complete lack of knowledge as to where their various body parts are at any time.

At some point, this initial phase of learning passes, and awareness grows. Awareness always increases faster than ability, as the mind’s ability to understand what to do is stronger than the mind’s ability to actually perform a task. Thus, we suddenly become aware of how incompetent we are, and we try to do better, but the harder we try, the more our awareness increases accelerating beyond our ability. As this happens, we begin to become discouraged - even depressed.

Eventually, our awareness levels begin to plateau, and we find our ability catching up with our awareness. As the gap closes, we begin to feel less discouraged, and eventually, the gap closes, then opens again a little, then closes again, and we enjoy a more shallow, less aggressive and painful learning curve.

For those with native talent beyond mere learning of the steps to take in a skill, the day comes when awareness leaves us - as it was when we were incompetent novices. We are able to move about and do things that others wish they could do and make it look easy. When others ask how we do it, we answer, “What are you talking about?”

Everyone passes through these four phases of competency throughout their lives.

George Passing Through the Four Competencies

Perhaps the best way to describe this is through a story.

George is a great project manager, and he has just been hired to take on a new job managing projects for a larger company than he has ever worked for before. In his past jobs, he has been able to manage his projects with a simple schedule, a spreadsheet of issues, and regular visits to the desks of people in his office.

Now George finds himself working in an office where everything is done by conference calls and email, where endless templates and steps are required to be taken in a specific, unchanging fashion. George finds himself scheduled for regular project reviews to ensure he is in-process and not running amok as a maverick who is skipping steps the big company requires of its PM’s.

At first, George is hyper confident. He knows how to manage a project. He starts doing things his way and makes a couple of decisions that he probably shouldn’t have. George is in the first stage: unconscious incompetence. George has no idea that he is not competent at his job yet. He feels excited and confident. George is currently a huge danger to the organization and himself because he might confidently make decisions that cause harm without intending it.

After a month of continuous correction and direction from his boss who intervenes when things start to get out of hand, George now realizes that the company is inflexible and insists the process be followed. He starts to review the many templates and process documents he must work with. He doesn’t know what the acronyms mean, who the people are, and the language is confusing. George panics. “I don’t know how to do any of this!” He feels anxiety and fear. His awareness has increased beyond his ability, and that feels like falling.

This is an approximation of how awareness can increase
more sharply than ability, leaving a large gap between
awareness and ability.

George feels as though he is getting worse - as though he is failing, but what he doesn’t know is that he is improving and was merely unaware of his previous lack of ability.George’s manager again intervenes, and during one on one meetings with him counsels him to be patient and that everyone is taken aback at first.

After three months, George understands what he needs to do and feels far more comfortable. His boss has backed off even further than before, and he is pretty sure he is doing things right. His boss’s feedback indicates that things are going well. Welcome to stage III, George: Conscious competence. George slides back and forth from that stage II feeling back to stage III sometimes as he learns.

After six months, George calms down significantly, really studies the information around him, and suddenly understands how it all fits together. The lights go on. Six months later, George is the top performer on the team. A new employee is hired who is over-confident and and unknowledgeable. The new guy comes to George after a few weeks in a panic and asks him how he keeps everything on his projects squared away.

“Oh, nothing special. I’m not really that good at this.” says George, having no real idea how he does what he does better than everyone else. George is now in stage IV: unconscious competence.

Tasks Within Tasks, Competencies Within Competencies

George is now great at project management, but what about some other things that have nothing to do with managing projects? Is George good at planning his vacations? Does he do well at departmental budgeting after he is promoted to management?

Competency is not measured at the job level - it is more appropriate to measure it at the task level. Some tasks are very easy for us, and others are areas that we need development.

The Four Competencies

1. Unconscious Incompetence - No clue just how much you don’t know - very risky to yourself and others due to inability to see danger ahead. When you start a new job, seek out increased awareness through training, reading, and conversations.
2. Conscious Incompetence - Anxious state of awareness climbing beyond ability rapidly. Feel like you are getting worse, but in reality, you are improving. If you make it through this stage, you will reach the next stage. Do not panic. All athletes feel as though they are losing ability when their measurements show vast improvement. You will survive, and things are not as they appear. You are a victim of a kinesthetic illusion: the gap between awareness and ability is so wide you feel dizzy.
3. Conscious Competence - Able to perform the task with competence, and you are aware that you are able to do so as long as you focus on doing it properly. This is where most people land. It may be inescapable for those who are not able to leverage some special strength they were born with to break into the final stage.
4. Unconscious Competence - Able to perform the task blindfolded in the dark while drunk. This is where the world’s champions and top performers live. They don’t know how. They don’t know why. They wonder what the devil is wrong with you that you cannot do it, too.

Awareness of the Four Competencies and recognition of where you, your reports, and your coworkers are in them can create opportunity to intervene and prevent tragic results as new hires pass through these stages.