The Four Stages of Competence · Transactional Funding Hub

The Four Stages of Competence

I came across this process of how we learn and wanted to post it for the group. We all start somewhere on this list, and we should want to progress to #4 as fast as possible!

Level 1 - Unconscious Incompetence (Ignorance): You don't know what you don't know; you're unaware of your lack of skill.

Level 2 - Conscious Incompetence (Awareness): You realize you lack the skill and understand the gap in your knowledge.

Level 3 - Conscious Competence (Learning): You can perform the skill, but it requires intense focus, concentration, and effort (e.g., learning to drive).

Level 4 - Unconscious Competence (Mastery): The skill is automatic, intuitive, and requires no conscious thought, allowing you to multitask or perform it flawlessly.

Key Characteristics:

Automaticity: Actions flow without deliberate thinking.

Muscle Memory: The skill is embedded in your physical or mental routine.

Intuition: Your responses are correct and instinctive.

The only way to reach level 4 is to PRACTICE - PRACTICE - PRACTICE

Growing up, how did we learn to add and subtract, and then multiply and divide.

Remember those "nasty" word problems in algebra? A property analysis is basically a word problem we need to solve.

Where are you on the list? You don't have to post to the group, but be honest with yourself.

Here is the perfect example we can ALL relate to:

Tieing your shoe laces.

Remember how hard it is the beginning. Then we get better but still slow, then we do it enough that it is easy. Eventually we do it without thinking or making a conscious effort.

In fact, try this: close your eyes and without using your hands to tie your laces, write down on paper the step by step process like a recipe how you tie your shoes, you may not actually be able to do it without using your hands to tie your shoes.

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