People are always asking me to explain how I accomplished something: how I built expertise in a certain area, how I made a career transition, how I created something successful. These are tough questions for me -- partly because I don't particularly enjoy talking about myself, but mostly because I don't always have the answers. Usually the first thing that comes to mind is, "I woke up one morning. I put on my big girl panties. And I did it." This isn't the answer people are looking for.
Then, today, it hit me. I know exactly how I accomplish everything I do. I intentionally place myself in situations where I'm completely incompetent and am forced to struggle (usually experiencing a series of horrible failures) until I become competent. We've all heard the Peter Principle, which suggests that people tend to be promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. This is generally viewed negatively because people can flounder when they reach this level, but people can also rise to the challenge. I constantly promote myself to my next level of incompetence so that I can rise to the challenge.
I only realized this because one of my clients was telling me about some of the jobs they want to apply for, but they haven't applied because they don't meet the qualifications listed in the requisitions. I was initially very confused by this -- why would you apply for a job that you already know how to do? Wouldn't that be incredibly boring? What would be in it for you? Then it hit me. People in our culture are terrified of failure. When people are terrified of failure, they don't push themselves. They never find out what they're capable of.
I've never known how to do a single job I've ever had -- at least not at first. I learned on the job, made a contribution, and then I asked myself two questions: How else can I apply what I've learned? and What else can I learn? Then I sought out a new role where I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I could apply the skills I'd already acquired while learning some useful new ones. I was recently promoted to the position of Board President at a start-up. I don't know how to create a successful strategic business plan. I don't know how to manage a Board of Directors. I had never even been on a board until 4 months ago. I literally have no idea what I'm doing, and I've made no secret of this to my Executive Director or Board Members.
The people who are counting on me don't seem nervous, despite my lack of expertise. This is probably because I don't let my lack of expertise slow me down. I'm diving in with tireless passion and applying my existing skills and talents in new ways. I'm determined to become a great strategic leader for the organization because I refuse to let them down. I'll make a lot of mistakes and learn what NOT to do, and that's ok. I'll do some things right too, and at some point I'll do a lot of things right. Eventually, I'll be so good at it that it will be time to find something new to do.
Then, today, it hit me. I know exactly how I accomplish everything I do. I intentionally place myself in situations where I'm completely incompetent and am forced to struggle (usually experiencing a series of horrible failures) until I become competent. We've all heard the Peter Principle, which suggests that people tend to be promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. This is generally viewed negatively because people can flounder when they reach this level, but people can also rise to the challenge. I constantly promote myself to my next level of incompetence so that I can rise to the challenge.
I only realized this because one of my clients was telling me about some of the jobs they want to apply for, but they haven't applied because they don't meet the qualifications listed in the requisitions. I was initially very confused by this -- why would you apply for a job that you already know how to do? Wouldn't that be incredibly boring? What would be in it for you? Then it hit me. People in our culture are terrified of failure. When people are terrified of failure, they don't push themselves. They never find out what they're capable of.
I've never known how to do a single job I've ever had -- at least not at first. I learned on the job, made a contribution, and then I asked myself two questions: How else can I apply what I've learned? and What else can I learn? Then I sought out a new role where I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I could apply the skills I'd already acquired while learning some useful new ones. I was recently promoted to the position of Board President at a start-up. I don't know how to create a successful strategic business plan. I don't know how to manage a Board of Directors. I had never even been on a board until 4 months ago. I literally have no idea what I'm doing, and I've made no secret of this to my Executive Director or Board Members.
The people who are counting on me don't seem nervous, despite my lack of expertise. This is probably because I don't let my lack of expertise slow me down. I'm diving in with tireless passion and applying my existing skills and talents in new ways. I'm determined to become a great strategic leader for the organization because I refuse to let them down. I'll make a lot of mistakes and learn what NOT to do, and that's ok. I'll do some things right too, and at some point I'll do a lot of things right. Eventually, I'll be so good at it that it will be time to find something new to do.
