Various learning models I've encountered over the years talk about four stages of learning. I just read an article by Peter Bergulnd that reminded me of this - here's an excerpt
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 Learning occurs through repetition. A good way to make sense of this lies in seeing four stages: 1) unconsciously incompetent 2) consciously incompetent 3) consciously competent and 4) unconsciously competent. Let's take the example of a child riding a bike:
- Unconsciously incompetent. The child doesn't realize he can't ride a bike.
- Consciously incompetent. The child tries, but fails in riding the bike. The child knows what he's trying to do but is unable to do it.
- Consciously competent. This is where the child, with total concentration and focus, can ride the bike although sort of wobbly.
- Unconsciously competent. This is where the child, without thinking about it, rides the bike effortlessly. Bike riding, through repetition, has become a task that is natural as a habit - or a morning routine.
Source: Minnesota Technology® magazine, September/October 1999 |
The article has some very thought-provoking information in it, including a technique called the "Twenty Times Concept," which helps you tackle the idea of scalability of practices as your organization grows.
I won't recap the article any further here, since you can -- and should -- click over and read it for free. That said, the article brings to mind an interesting thought about personal development:
Most of my "stretch goals" and my best growth occurs once I become consciously incompetent. This really stimulates my desire to learn new things, and kicks me into data gathering mode. From there, I can systematically identify where my issues are, create a concrete goal, establish a plan and work toward my goal.
Who says ignorance is bliss? Knowing my limitations also enables me to determine where my risks are, and increases my odds of responding appropriately to those risks.
Sure, I want to be consciously competent, then unconsciously competent - but the real fun starts when I become consciously incompetent.
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How many times have you made a plea to someone for something and not gotten what you wanted? The answer may be easier than you think: up your influence.
Upping your influence means bucking your own traditional wisdom and trying a different set of "levers" to make your case. For example:
- If you've been relying on clean, logical arguments to sell your idea, try making an emotional appeal instead.
- If your emotional approach to seeking support from others is falling on deaf ears, try creating a logical business case to convince your audience.
- If you are a calm, collected, quiet person try making a loud, brash, demanding case!
- If you are a noisy desk-pounder, try a quiet, level-toned statement of your case
This can work for a number of reasons, depending on the situation:
- If you are perceived as a certain type of person (logical, emotional, loud, quiet, etc.) taking the opposite stance or demeanor can cause others to reconsider you in a different light. This is particularly effective if others see you as quiet, calm, overly logical, etc. - in which case a loud, emotional posture will help convey passion.
- If your audience is of a certain mindset (logical, emotional, etc.) taking an opposite stance can catch them off guard and put them into a mode in which they are not well equipped to shoot down your ideas.
Give it a try - if your requests are falling on deaf ears, you just might be able to cut through the noise and complacency by upping your influence.
Related posts:
Read MoreLisa Haneberg has just posted the winners of the Best Management Ideas contest over at Management Craft! As one of the judges, I was impressed with the quality of ideas submitted. It has also been fun seeing who the submitters were (we were provided with a list of ideas, but no clues as to who submitted them).
There are some great ideas over there - and don't just read the winning idea - there is a wealth of learning in the whole list.
Read MoreFrom my time spent in product development, there is an approach that has served me well: "Go ugly early."
This concept involves releasing early iterations of your products so you can allow your customers to interact with them and provide feedback. I'm not talking about releasing unstable or buggy products - I'm talking about releasing stable products that have limited functionality, but which telegraph the shapes of things to come. This can be done on a controlled basis (such as with a limited Beta program)
There are many advantages to this approach. For example:
- You allow your customers to become more involved in the evolution of your product.
- You provide functionality to the market earlier - this is good for the market and your position in it (assuming you release stable product).
- You get early feedback on whether there is even a need for what you've built, enabling course corrections earlier when your sunk costs are lower.
- You discover how your product interacts with other products, processes, etc. in the market.
- You can often increase your thought leadership and influence in the market.
A similar approach can be used for our personal ideas. If you have an idea, concept, etc. you can often advance the development of that concept by going ugly early and sharing that idea with others for input before you think the idea is "done." Many of the advantages are similar to the ones listed above.
Of course, there are risks in early disclosure. You may give away your secrets and your competitors may gain advantage from what you have released. In business, as with your own ideas, there are multiple ways to address this.
- Plentiful attitude. Assume there are enough ideas, money, opportunity, etc. to go around and share the idea openly. This approach also works for ideas you are contributing for the greater good (open standards, for example).
- Scarcity attitude. Assume that revealing your ideas early will expose you to risk of being out-executed, or having your idea show up in others' works. You can control this to a certain degree by limiting disclosure (to a selected group of early adopters, for example), or by putting a non-disclosure agreement in place. In this case, pick your friends wisely.
And there are many shades between these two. Regardless of the end of the spectrum on which you find yourself, there can be a lot of value and "time to market" benefits of going ugly early. Consider this powerful tool in your toolbox - are you incubating any ideas that could benefit from going ugly early?
Read More"Contrast that with Visions that grab ahold of you deep inside and don't let go until you reach the finish line. These are the Visions that change things."A lot is written, said, theorized, and declared about the most effective ways to get things done. This is due, in part, to the volume of things going on in our lives. Couple this with the endless ways we make ourselves feel bad because we aren't getting as many things done as you'd like, and frustration is inevitable.
Most of what I read about getting stuff done deals with Technique, Systems, and Tactics, with lots of Purpose and Balance sprinkled on. Goodness knows, I've tried various recipes - some work well, some don't, some work sometimes, some work always. They all have one thing in common - I can screw up any of them because I don't predictably play by the rules.
In my quest for the perfect system I've come to some conclusions, thanks to a number of cosmic nudges toward "Intention" over the last year. The nudges have helped me conclude that Intention is the key element that determines whether any of the other stuff works (sort of like the One Ring that rules them all, in the Lord of The Rings).
Turns out I was on a quest (or something like it) and didn't realize it. This post is quite a bit more philosophical (and a lot longer) than my usual curious musings here, but I have heard a different muse today. Here is my travelog.
Road signs
The gurus of productivity all have their own twist on creating a compelling Vision of the future. Stephen Covey tells us to "Begin with the end in mind," David Allen says "You won't know how to do it until you see yourself doing it." - My friend Gene Kim recommended "The Message of a Master" to me last year, which deals with "broadcasting" your desires (intentions, if you will) to the cosmos triggering the cosmos to respond with what you need. It's an unassuming little book, and I'd forgotten about it. I found it under the edge of my bed this weekend and it came crashing back.
- Steve Pavlina's "Million Dollar Experiment" (I'm a participant) gathered a bunch of folks to "manifest" $1 million dollars through the power of Intention. I personally attribute thousands of dollars to this simple intention technique.
- I saw a PBS special by Wayne Dyer, in which he goes through how to use the "Power of Intention" to change your life for the better. I was so intrigued, I donated enough money to Public Broadcasting to get his whole collection on the subject.
I started listening to the Wayne Dyer CD's this week, and a surprising thing happened. It was very "out there," new age sounding stuff (and I'm usually a roll-your-eyes-in-the-face-of-new-age-things kinda person). Then the connections started happening.
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