The Four Stages of Competence

Please indulge me as I start this week’s post with a not-so-humble brag. Today I received my Erickson Solution Focused Coach Diploma! Since I started the first course 14 months ago, I have completed 140 hours of training and over 100 hours of coaching, and successfully passed the final oral assessment. It’s been quite a journey (future blog topic?) and a nice illustration of the Four Stages of Competence learning model, which is what I’m going to cover today.

When you’re learning a new skill or doing something for the first time (anything from riding a bike to buying your first home), it can be helpful to be aware of where you are in the learning process so you know what to focus on. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and to have to apply a higher level of effort for a while, but it won’t always be that way. Knowing that this is a normal part of the process can help to ward off any feelings of discouragement. Also, who doesn’t love a model that fits into a 2x2 matrix (though it is also represented as a hierarchy in a pyramid)?

The Four Stages of Competence model has been around at least since 1969, documented as the “four levels of teaching” by Martin M. Broadwell, and describes the progression of psychological states that most learners go through while developing competence in a skill. 

Unconscious Incompetence

You don’t know what you don’t know

Most people start at this first stage, where you lack awareness of your deficit and possibly why the skill is important to have. You’re making mistakes, but not yet able to recognize that you are. The hallmark of the Unconscious Incompetence stage is developing awareness. 

This was me as I was choosing a coaching certification program based on a spreadsheet of recommendations compiled by co-workers. I was eager to learn, and had some knowledge of what coaching was based on my years of experience as a mentor and a few rounds of being a coaching client, but I had no idea what skills and knowledge I would need.

Conscious Incompetence

What have I gotten myself into?!

Once you have more awareness, you realize how little you know and how much you have to learn. During this stage, you may feel overwhelmed or that you are backtracking because you are now aware of your mistakes, but you also understand why the new skill is valuable. 

When I started the first course, I spent a few hours every weekend completing the assigned prep work for each module, watching videos of lectures and coaching demonstrations, taking quizzes, and posting my impressions on a discussion forum. There were so many new concepts introduced each week that I wondered how I’d ever be able to remember them while also listening to a coaching client and thinking of what question to ask next.

Conscious Competence

I can do it but it takes a lot of effort and concentration

As you continue to practice, things start to click and you develop some proficiency. However, it takes a good amount of conscious effort to perform the skills.

In class, we practiced in triads with a coach, a client, and an observer. I relied heavily on the course manual and handouts, guiding a client through the coaching framework we were taught step-by-step. The long silences felt awkward, and I still stumbled occasionally. I also compiled a list of questions in a spreadsheet that I referred to at times when I was stumped.

Unconscious Competence

Automatic and effortless

In this final stage, you have reached a high level of proficiency and the skill becomes second nature. You no longer have to try so hard because it is now intuitive. You have a deep understanding of the skill and may even be able to teach it to others.

After hours and hours of practicing coaching with dozens of clients, I no longer needed to use my handouts and spreadsheets as a crutch. I learned how to make coaching sessions flow more naturally and could relax and be fully present.

The next time you embark upon learning something new, if you become frustrated or discouraged, consider what stage you are in and keep at it! And if you are teaching or helping someone else to develop a new skill, provide feedback that is simple and lightweight in the earlier stages, waiting until they have reached a higher stage of proficiency before getting into the deeper details.