Reps and Mastery

    We can't achieve true mastery if we aren't aware of a few things: The first thing is defining what it is when we say we want to "master" something. I would argue that mastery isn't just competence and proficiency but also the clarity of understanding and skill of application. With clarity of understanding and skill of application, you bring an awareness and understanding of the subject or skill that allows you to navigate nuances, adapt to changing circumstances, and improvise on the spot, all while still achieving the desired goal.

A good illustration of this theory is a musician playing an instrument. Someone who can play the piano well by reading sheet music shows strong proficiency and competence; however, they may not be able to create the music on their own, jam with a musician on the spot, or create solos. Instead, they need to master their understanding of music through consistent and repetitious application of the knowledge, skills, and abilities they have gained. It is in the repetitions that they will gain insight into the nuances of music, a deeper understanding of the rules, and why they exist. From this, they can learn how to bend and break the rules to their advantage, mastering the piano.

With that said, this is the equation I use when I'm working on mastering something:

Knowledge x Experience = Wisdom ->  Wisdom x Repetition of application = Mastery. 

Another thing that I think is a phenomenal tool in achieving mastery that allows you to speed your process along is understanding the "Hierarchy of competence." Knowing that the hierarchy of competence exists and how to navigate your existence within it will almost immediately make you better, faster, and more successful. The Hierarchy of competence was developed by Noel Burch in the 1970s to explain how we navigate learning new skills.

In the Hierarchy of competence, the base level is Unconscious Incompetence. In Unconscious incompetence, you are unaware that there is something that you do not know. You could also describe this as a state of ignorance. This is a dangerous place to operate because we are clearly operating with a lack of information which limits our capacity, impact, and progress.

The next stage is Conscious Incompetence. This is where we are now aware that there is something we do not know. This is a good stage to be in because "Awareness wins games." This is the stage where learning occurs. This is where we seek out the necessary information and begin to work through it, understand it, and apply it.

The next stage is Conscious Competence. This is where we understand and apply the things that we did not previously know, but in this stage, we lack proficiency, so it requires us to be present in the moment, so we don't make a mistake. In this stage, we have to remind ourselves of the steps involved, the requirements, and the contraindications in order to progress through the skill/task/etc.

The final stage and pinnacle of the hierarchy of competence is "Unconscious Competence." In Unconscious Competence, you have achieved a comprehensive understanding. You could call this the "expert" stage. In this stage, you have developed a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area that allows you to significantly reduce the cognitive load on yourself during task/skill completion. This frees up your cognitive capacity to be creative, improvise, adapt, and innovate on the spot. Many would argue that this is the final stage. However, I disagree. I believe there is one more stage above Unconscious Competence, and that is Mastery.

In mastery, you not only have the skillset that comes with the repetitious application of unconscious competence, but you apply the principles of conscious competence. By doing this, you are an intentional operator that is present and mindful in the moment of application. Making sure you are paying attention, following your systems, absorbing all the information, listening to your intuition, and watching for success/pivot indicators. Taking the expert and multiplying their capacity, capability, and impact exponentially. Failing to do this can lead to nearsightedness, blind spots, oversights, and ultimately mistakes.

There are several other things we could add to this list, and I could talk about all these topics so much more in-depth but for the sake of a quick read, ill stop here. Just remember, “We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training." ― Archilochus.

So seek out new information/skills, apply them regularly, over and over again, be intentional, and become a master.

Mastery: Expert skill applied successfully by a wise and conscious operator.