You are a woman who is in “Business”; so you are a Woman-In-Business. Your business may be in your home, in an office, in a building down the street, or on the phone with someone on the other side of the earth. You see we are all women-in-business of some kind. We are caregivers, decisions makers, leaders, mentors, role models, lovers, mothers, sisters, nieces, owners of homes, cars, apartments, stuff!
Our job is to make sure that we do all of these many faceted areas of our own businesses run well. That they are well supplied, ready to operate, well fueled, up to date on their shots and fertilizing, we make sure that the grass is cut and the emails are sent and the supplies ordered and the clients are satisfied and returns are cheerfully accepted.
Each and every one of these facets of our business require a very important skill: Decision Making and our ability to Process Information. Have you ever given any thought as to how you do this?
Your answer will probably sound like this: “…I don’t know, I just do whatever needs to be done and I do not give it any thought really….”. Well, yes you do but you have becomes so very good at it that it is your very own “Unconscious Competence” which is in play.
When I learned about this concept myself, I was amazed at how many areas in my life were at all of the four stages of this information and decision making process. It put a “framework” around the feelings that I knew I have but I couldn’t quantify for some reason.
See if you understand as I explain each of these phases of process in the information process and in your decision making skill-set.
There are times when we are “blissfully” ignorant about something. We don’t even know that we don’t know something and it does not bother us because we are totally unaware. This is the stage called “Unconscious Incompetence”. It is not a bad thing at all. When you were in your crib as an infant you had no idea that you would need a job some day, have to get shots, drive a car or pay taxes, you were unconscious incompetent.
As you grew up and you started becoming of age and wanting to drive a car and you got a job where taxes were suddenly taken out of what seemed to be a large chunk of change you were suddenly aware but you didn’t know what to do about that or where to learn to drive or when that was going to happen. This stage is called “Conscious Incompetence”. You KNOW you don’t know something and you do not have the skills.
The day you left home and set out on your own and you had your drivers licence for many years and you are now used to having your withholding from your pay check and you know how this part of your life works, you get up, get dressed get in your car, drive to work, and work and come home at night, and it is all pretty routine. This is “Conscious Competence”. You may not be perfect at any of this but, you do know what to do.
The final stage in this process is being the parent of the teen who is back at square one just like you were and you know what is needed and how long it takes and you do not even think about all the details because you are: “Unconscious Competent”.
So where are you in all the many areas of your own life? Where are you in buying a home on this 4 step scale of competence? What about your own health? Where are you in your finances? You see we can apply this thinking and informational processing to all areas of our lives.
Let me know what you think about this!