My first job out of college was secured months before my Clemson graduation. A professional speaker and salesman of a time management system recruited me to come work for him. At the time, he was a mentor to me from what started as being a friend of my parents who reached out because he wanted pine straw from my business, Pinestraw Plus.
One day, after I finished up the delivery and spreading job at his home on a Saturday, we sat on his couch and he shared something that I still carry in my head and communicate to anyone who will listen. Its one of those truths that helps me to this day.
He explained how every person goes through four progressive steps in their career, no matter what career they are in and it goes something like this…
Step 1: Unconscious, Incompetent — This is the person who doesn’t know what they don’t know. Kind of like my little girl when she was 5 years old. She unconsciously didn’t know that if she ran out in to the street, she might be hit by cars racing by. She didn’t know what she didn’t know. Any new employee starts out not knowing what they don’t know. They are ignorant and don’t know it yet.
Step 2: Concious, Incompetent — This is the second stage where something happens and the person now realizes that just how much they do not know. They are concious of how much they are behind the 8 ball and realize that there is so much in the job that they don’t know. Humility happens and there should be an all out effort to learn and train so that they can gain the compentency
Step 3: Concious, Competent — Step three is when they now learn and have experiences under their belt. Now they know that they are good. They are starting to be at the peak of their career. They are talented and now they know they are talented.
Step 4: Unconscious, Competent — This is the point where someone is SO amazing and talented but they do their job in such a way that they are unconscious how great they are. This stage is when you hear that speaker or expert in his field share or do his job and he doesn’t have to think at all about it. He can do it in his sleep, he performs now unconsciously.
Steps three and four are where we begin making money. It is when we are at our happiness and are doing the best we can. I challenge you to look at your stage in your career and figure out where you are today. Be better.
