Learning

[right graphic].

Competence comes from learning - learning is changing not just your your knowledge, but skills, understanding, etc. So this Cycle of

Competence is linked to how you change - at what point [Value Station] you go to before you change. Is YOUR learning achieved AFTER an event, as a reaction or frustration, or as a proactive choice?

So, another way of looking at the Personal & Corporate Values Journey is how we get better at journeying - how we learn - & the quantity [& quality] and speed of cycles! After all, if you are a mountain climber, eventually Mt Everest might be your target but you probably tested yourself, your skill and competencies on Kilimanjaro earlier, but as a kid, that local hill was your big climb!

We get better at whatever we do through learning and practice. Like all paradigms, there can be dysfunctional aspects if unbalanced.

The left graphic separates the Cycle of Competence into Awareness and Competence axes and builds on the famous Conscious Competence model and frames it in PCVJ terms. As we approach the Yellow value station, a curious effect emerges, a fifth stage - Meta-conscious Competence. IF we can hold onto the need to learn and what to learn in the moment, then the cycle stays in the positive learning sectors - Steward, Mentor, Master, or even better at the top [of the diagram] in the continuous learning paradigm of Personal Mastery. Of course, it's a big world and surprises await for the best master of learning. In the latter case, mastering dealing with surprise [the unknown/chaos] is needed - aware that you are unaware [of something].

still coming...

Competence:

From incompetent to competent

Awareness:

From unconscious to conscious

The starting point for all is not knowing what we don't know... duh!

Ignoramus:

Oblivious to our own lack of knowledge and capacity, we blunder through life. As seen in the Stages of Change, some pressure/dissonance/non-linear event (call it a life experience) pushes us into learning... into growing... into realizing that we didn't know something 'back then'. Perhaps we might be more open to learning some more... maybe... but still we need more pressure to move until growing becomes a proactive choice.

Steward:

The discomfort of dissonance may finally get to us. We may choose to move on, to learn some new ways that we realize we don't know. Perhaps the light comes on and we now see the benefit of learning more social rules.

The Steward cares for, co-operates, and has the ideal of a safe harmonious environment for the team/group. This can be a stopping place [of growth] because the mentality of this position forms a silo or fixed mindset that doesn't let 'outside' knowledge & experience in. It 'knows best'.

It's when some growth is recognized as needed [in self or organization], that the person then moves more to a Mentoring perspective where outcomes are asked or expected of your Mentee/s. Still after positive relationships, but with the aim of more of a group-leadership focus emerging. In the interim of change, the Steward themselves must first learn to perform.

Mentor:

The empathic side of us is really triggered in Green to get-along but is used to influence now. We now are very aware of our skills and may wish to use those capabilities to help others 'get it'. Mentors coach and encourage. They build other's self-esteem. They are still quite involved with people - perhaps more as individuals - person-to-person.

Master:

We have the habit of learning about ourselves and learning what is needed NOW as we go along life's journey. They tend to run on automatic but are aware of their and other's needs in-the-moment. The Masters can watch themself learn.

Have you ever seen an experienced teacher teach a subject they don't know... watch! They can learn on the run (through years of practise) and can stay ahead of the students enough to deliver the program.

Here you can lead by doing [relatively] nothing... enabling others by NOT taking leadership or control. Just "be" and so influence others to learn in their own way and time.

Malcolm Gladwell's book 'Outliers' is a useful & interesting book to read regarding mastery. Timing can be [almost] everything to having the mastery recognized or socially useful [as in success]!

Meta-conscious Competence

later.... We need to address metacommunicative competence here too... not just Meta-conscious Competence... My take on it: At this level, we are conscious [aware] of our [& others] particular incompetence FROM A THIRD PARTY POSITION - i.e. we can watch ourselves learn and be conscious of our process as we teach others. There's an element of 'intuition' here. Intuition being, in my mind, the collective input [data] being subconsciously processed and expressed as an indeterminate 'feeling' - the gut feeling - a result of lots of previous practice/experience. Without the background information/data [some subconsciously collected] AND personal experience, I don't believe it could be truly intuition, rather just a disconnected feeling mistaken for intuition - or hopefulness 8-D

In the Meta-conscious state, one could probably identify, given time, the inner secrets of their intuitive process. Watching someone 'talk out loud' while they work on a problem is enlightening regarding this. Try talking yourself through a problem. Perhaps that could develop this aspect?

Schooling is change:

While I'm a result of the public education system, for our children to grow fast, I've come to realize the benefits of private education [at least later in the schooling].

The children get to be surrounded by Oranges... rather than state bureaucratic style values (Blue rules).

Students are then a notch up the Values Journey from the beginning (& still get to know the rules with a different perspective)

It took ME a while to accept this (it challenged MY upbringing!)

We then need to bring back community and relationship-building skills

i.e. beginning in Green - to save our skins and the planet's

(The younger generation get the beginnings of this at schools now in a Blue's manner - controlled community!).

So, one step further, and perhaps send your kids to more open, relationship-based, non-traditional schooling where kids get to know and be in touch with their deep drivers (values) rather than controlled, suppressed, & 'formed' - exit tall poppy syndrome in these 'new' schools. Montessori or Steiner???

Also, recent research* suggests that separation of the sexes as they enter puberty seems wise (the current system has serious negative implications for boys who may be about 2 years behind at this point).

*can't remember the paper: research was in NSW [Australia], I think about 2007 or 8 [google is your friend - well, for this!]

The benefits are very long-term and may not be obvious in the society, initially.

Aside: As a yachtie, I saw incredibly confident and diversely & well-educated children who were home-schooled on yachts as they travelled the world meeting numerous cultures along the way. I understand that schooling only took 3-4 hours/day

In my business studies, I saw the inherent corporate feudal system being taught & reinforced, but as an entrepreneur, my deeper interests for liberation [i.e. I, not the corporate] through wealth & knowledge wasn't really addressed [& it was a speciality I pursued]. I had to reframe the knowledge - the 1y property course I did immediately after taught me MUCH finer points of reality of the business world.

Oh, social ignorance is bliss but it keeps us poor [in $, mind, & spirit]

I don't know enough about the new style schools available to recommend any but look at Montessori, Steiner, et al.

On primary schooling, read A Gender Perspective for other thoughts.

mg [ed]