Your competencies are the skills and abilities you already apply in a specific activity.
It could be anything: you can swim well, you’re computer savvy, you’re trained to hold the plank for a long time, etc. And in each skill, we develop, going through several stages of development.
You can only understand your current level of competence through feedback from friends and colleagues. How will people with different competency levels react to criticism or approval?
The diagram is simple:
Criticism
Beginner – Disagrees
Amateur – Indifferent
Professional – Agrees
Approval
Beginner – Agrees
Amateur – Indifferent
Professional – Disagrees
EXAMPLES:
You play the guitar really well!
Beginner – Yes, I can sing any song
Amateur – You know, I’m not that good
Professional – I play terribly
You’re terrible at writing books!
Beginner – You don’t understand anything
Amateur – Yes, but I am
Professional – You’re right, I need to learn
I like the way you dance!
Beginner – I’ve been practicing for a long time
Amateur – There are better ones than me
Professional – I’m a long way from being “good”
You’re managing your team incorrectly!
Beginner – Oh, come on, I don’t need advice
Amateur – Yeah, thanks
Professional – You think so?! I need to work on this.
How do you write music so well?
Beginner – Actually, I’m an unrecognized talent
Amateur – Anyone can do that
Professional – I think I don’t pay enough attention to detail
It’s impossible to listen to you sing!
Beginner – You don’t sing at all
Amateur – Don’t listen, I don’t care
Professional – Tell me, what exactly is it that you’re not doing well
Well, wow, you’re a great programming pro!
Beginner – Yeah, I can whip up a chatbot in 10 minutes
Amateur – I don’t think so, I need more work
Professional – Actually, I only know 1 in 1,000,000
Listen, maybe you should practice cooking some more?
Beginner – Yeah, fine, it’s an omelet
Amateur – An omelet is just an omelet
Professional – Right, I found a book here about different ways to make omelets
You run fast, could you give me a few lessons?
Beginner – Sure, go ahead.
Amateur – Ask someone else.
Professional – I’m not fast enough.
You’re doing the work of seven people. How do you do it?
Beginner – Well, I can do the job of ten.
Amateur – Nothing special, that’s how I am.
Professional – Are you serious? I don’t have time for anything.
etc.
You’ve probably realized that if you’re criticized or praised and you respond indifferently, then you’re at a solid amateur level.
If you respond to criticism with criticism and praise with agreement, then you’re not yet completely confident in your competence and are at the beginner level.
If you perceive any criticism as progress and any “laudatory ode” as “something strange,” then you’re at the professional level, striving to become a master.
What matters isn’t how others perceive your competence, but how you respond to people’s reactions.
