The Learning Box

I was reading a great article today - When Mediator Education Backfires Even As It Succeeds - when I stumbled across a term (unconsciously incompetent) that reminded me of the Learning Box!

This neatly sums up how we learn stuff - it's pretty simple, and as I've learned, it is a great way to identify your weaknesses when you are trying to learn something new. You may not know what you need to know, but you'll know what stage of learning you are in and that awareness can help you reach the next step!

1. Unconsciously Incompetent: Ignorance is bliss. You don't know anything and you don't know that you don't know anything. Life is good!

2. Consciously Incompetent: You know what you don't know. This can lead to feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. No one likes to feel like they don't know what they are doing, but hey, it's all part of the learning process!

3. Consciously Competent: You finally know what you're doing, but you have to think about it. You probably have checklists and a set process you use to make sure you're getting things right. This feels great - you are energized not being the newbie anymore!

4. Unconsciously Competent: You've reached the point where you don't have to think about how you accomplish these tasks anymore and, in fact, you may even have a hard time explaining things to someone struggling in in the Consciously Incompetent stage. But, the great thing about this stage is that there are always new things to learn! Move back to step 1 and start over.