Consciously Competent

Learning is a never ending journey for leaders. My older son, Seth, is an avid reader who is always seeking to know more. It is not uncommon for him to recommend a book for me to read. Such was the case recently when he gave me a book entitled It Takes What It Takes by Trevor Moawad. It is a book about how to think neutrally and gain control of your life. In chapter 8 of this book entitled, "It Takes Self-Awareness," the author draws attention to the western Asian philosophy that people can live in one of four states:

Unconsciously Incompetent- a state in which we don't know, and we don't know that we don't know.

Consciously Incompetent- a state in which we know that we don't know.

Unconsciously Competent- a state in which we don't know that we know.

Consciously Competent- a state in which we know, and we know that we know (and therefore proceed with confidence).

It was with this information that my younger son, John, and I were discussing leadership one Saturday morning on our back porch. His comments and insights into Biblical characters in regard to this concept were spot on. He indicated that we often travel through these states of being as was the case with Moses. At one point he forgot what made him competent when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it, as God had commanded in Numbers 20. That observation  reminded me of another Biblical character by the name of Saul who became the Apostle Paul.

In Acts chapter 9 we see him growing through these four states. He was breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He simply did not know that he did not know what he was doing. In fact he later stated that he did it ignorantly and in unbelief. It took a road to Damascus experience to show him that he had been unconsciously incompetent.

 Later Ananias, a servant of the Lord, came to him as he was emerging into a state of consciousness and informed him that he was truly competent to do the work that the Lord had in store for him. The whole experience brought him to the final state of being consciously competent.

I love these examples because they illustrate the fact that we may be in or go through these stages several times in various areas of leadership. We don't always see clearly what we are doing. Leaders often trust in themselves too much and forget how they arrived at becoming consciously competent. Let us humbly remember that it is God who has made us and not we ourselves, (Psalm 100:3), and that "he who thinks he stands should take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12).

 With all this in mind, it's a good idea to pray for wisdom consistently so that we may become or remain consciously competent leaders who see themselves as God sees them. What will it take for us to achieve this goal? I believe humility is what is necessary for us to reach that state and to remain there. It may take a Damascus Road experience to get us on or back on the road to success.

Remember, I believe we are all leaders regardless of position.