Weducation

I recall during my training as a banquet server, how overwhelmed I was with details and had to constantly refer to my BEO (Banquet Event Order) to make sure everything was there...coffee, cream, sugar, spoons, tea, hot water, napkins, lemons, teaspoons, teaspoon holder, cups, saucers etc. After checking and rechecking I would announce the completion of my set-up only to have my manager would walk in the room, glance at the table and would instantly know what was missing.

Her ability to do this was amazing and a goal I had hoped to one day achieve. After working with her for many months on many wonderful events, I noticed I had become as proficient as my boss when it was my turn to train new banquet servers. I recall one particular server expressing pride in setting up an entire room alone and challenging me to find a single mistake. Of course I found several missing details which completely confounded him. When he questioned my ability to know in an instant what was wrong, I explained levels of competence to him. There are four levels which I'll describe very simply:

1. Unconscious incompetence - you don't KNOW, WHAT you don't KNOW
   At this level you are blissfully ignorant
2. Conscious incompetence - you KNOW, what you don't KNOW
   You are an eager learner at this level
3. Conscious competence - you KNOW what you KNOW
   You have learned and are confident and eager to put your skills to use
4. Unconscious competence - you don't KNOW that you KNOW it - it's just so easy
   At this level your skills become habit and you don't need to think about them

I always imagined unconscious competence as being the highest functioning and most effective level of performance, however there are times when this level can actually be a detriment. I'll explain why next week.

Can you think of a time when unconscious competence can be viewed negatively?