The Cycle of Learning

Whether you're starting a new job or a new hobby, to be successful will require that you go through the Cycle of Learning (aka the 4 Stages of Competence); yes, there is actually a process that you must go through!

Let's look at the 4 stages using the example of starting a new job.

When you start a new job, it's super exciting - you have new responsibilities, new people that you'll be working with, you might even be at a new company. Walking in, you have high expectations of yourself; you want to ramp quickly and make an immediate impact. While that's a great mindset to have, be careful not to put too much pressure on yourself - I know, it's easier said than done! Seriously, there's no such thing as "overnight success". Here's where you need to balance your persistence with some patience, check your ego at the door, and understand that you must go through cycle of learning.

Stage #1 - Unconscious Incompetence

This is the honeymoon period; everything is great, and you don't know what you don't know. While you've been given the general responsibilities and told what you must do to be successful, you're still not 100% sure what that's going to look like or what it's going to take to get there. It's the unknown; you have a decent picture but it's a bit blurry.

Stage #2 - Conscious Incompetence

This is where you get smacked in the face with a dose of reality! This is where you "know what you don't know"; you realize there is sooooo much to learn and any resemblance of success seems sooooo far away. You're making mistakes and you know it. This is by far the toughest stage; it can be overwhelming, scary, stressful, and you may feel awkward and even inadequate. It's here where you may even second guess your decision to take this new job and ask yourself "What was I thinking?" Do not quit! Getting through this stage requires mental toughness for sure, but you can do it with a little hard work and focus. It's important that you give yourself some grace and understanding too. Just remember that "it's a process" and you can't rush it!

Stage #3 - Conscious Competence

Through commitment, hard work, and perseverance, you make it to stage 3. You've seen progress, and you're feeling pretty good. You have strong proficiency; you know what you're doing but you still need to think about what you're doing. You may need to refer back to your notes/cheat sheet/checklists to ensure that you're following the process and executing as you should. Be careful to not get too comfortable here and feel that you "have arrived". Be open to coaching and feedback as you still have some work to do to make it to the final stage.

Stage #4 - Unconscious Competence

After what seems to be an eternity, and a few bumps and bruises (mostly ego), you finally arrive at stage 4. Whew, this is where you want to be! Here is where you really feel like things are clicking. Your confidence is at an all-time high and you're feeling good about yourself. You know your role so well that you can pretty much operate on autopilot. You can execute at a high level without really having to think about it. I caution you to not get too comfortable here and rest on your laurels. Remain open to coaching and continual learning; we can always get better!

There you have it, the 4 stages in the cycle of learning.

Again, this is a process that we ALL must go through anytime we are learning something new. While just knowing this can help us manage our own expectations, understand that we each will progress through the stages at a different pace. Remember the 5 Ps:

POSITIVE - Stay positive no matter what!

PERSPECTIVE - Understand that learning is a process that takes time.

PATIENCE - Don't rush it; enjoy the journey!

PERSISTENCE - Stick with it; don't give up and try not to get frustrated.

PROGRESS - Celebrate the small wins and the fact that you're better today than you were yesterday!

Happy Learning & Growing!