Most of us are probably accustomed to thinking about our work in terms of “job titles” and “job descriptions.” If someone asks me what I do, I tell them I’m a controller. If I were to create a description of my job I might start with the purpose, then list duties, and round it off with skills and qualifications.

Another way to think about jobs and work is with the concept of “roles, responsibilities, and expectations (RR&E’s).” These are explained in The Science of Success by Charles Koch, Chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, Inc.

RR&E’s are intended to “define general areas of responsibility and accountability.” Koch explains, “A person is accountable if he or she will bear the consequences (good or bad) of a decision. Both the person making the decision and the person delegating are held accountable” (p. 129).

Supervisors are expected to ensure that RR&Es maximize the employees’ contributions to the organization. Importantly, employees must take ownership to “ensure his or her RR&Es are current, accurate, and effective” (p. 129). No matter what type of management style exists in your organization, it is wise to take ownership of your role and your broader career development and progress.

Koch defines roles, responsibilities, and expectations, as follows:

• “A role is a description of the position held and the functions performed by an individual” (p. 129).
• “Each role has an associated bundle of responsibilities. These responsibilities clearly define the products, services, assets or processes for which we are accountable” (p. 130).
• “Expectations are written statements specifying the results required of an employee if the business is to achieve its objectives” (p. 130).

A potential employer would expect to see your resume if you were applying for a job. Similarly, you should expect, at least in general terms, a written description of the potential roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the job you are thinking of pursuing. That way you can determine whether you have the appropriate skill sets and whether the role fits with your career plan and goals. New hires should work their their supervisors and take ownership of the job by documenting their specific RR&Es within the business.

Koch says, “Expectations should always be clear, specific, and whenever possible, measurable” (p. 130). They should challenge employees to take ownership, reach higher, and be creative.

Get it in writing. Just as agreements, goals, mission and vision statements, and policies should be documented in writing; an employer should come to a mutual understanding and document the roles, responsibilities, and expectations with each employee.

I wrote previously about the four stages of learning. We progress from unconscious incompetence (“you don’t know what you don’t know”), to conscious incompetence (“you know what you don’t know”), then conscious competence (“you have a solid grasp on the subject matter, but you have to think about it”), and finally unconscious competence (“you know the subject matter like the back of your hand”).

How does one apply this paradigm to learning?

Consider a person who is unaware (i.e., unconsciously incompetent) of the concept of emotional intelligence. Perhaps this person has a measure of EI without consciously realizing or understanding it. Or perhaps this person has developed habits of thought and behavior that discourage self-assessment of blind spots and drive away others.

What should a person do in this situation?

1. Survey the landscape. Become aware of what you don’t know so that you can progress beyond unconscious incompetence (a.k.a., “utter ignorance”). Google and Wikipedia can make this initial process quite easy. It’s not that you’ll become a subject matter expert from reading Wikipedia articles, but you will at least have a place to begin digging deeper. Perhaps the impetus behind your pursuit of learning is a challenge or weakness you want to overcome, or an opportunity or strength you want to develop. For instance, if you are trying to figure out why your relationships are failing or if you want to get ahead in your career, perhaps you will stumble across the concept of emotional intelligence. You are now beginning to become conscious of your incompetence (or “areas for improvement,” to put it euphemistically).
2. Outline the core concepts that you need to learn, and make a plan. This will set you on the path toward conscious competence. As you progress in your learning, you might discover that areas you initially thought were important turned out to be peripheral. This is part of the process of graduating from conscious incompetence to conscious competence. For example, perhaps you discover the importance of knowing yourself (intrapersonal skills), as well as developing interpersonal, communications, and relationship skills. Instead of unconsciously “floating along” with your habits that run counter to sound EI principles, you are ready to overcome your weaknesses and challenges.
3. Consistently and systematically pursue the discipline of learning. This will get you to the level of conscious competence. You will learn how the different areas of the subject relate to each other, as well as how the subject relates to other fields and disciplines. You will overcome your ignorance and unlearn bad habits that were setting you back in ways that you had not previously realized. You will replace these bad habits with positive patterns of thought and behavior.
4. Recognize where you came from once you reach unconscious competence. Though it’s thrilling and rewarding to know your subject matter so well that it’s “second nature,” the danger is becoming unapproachable. Guard against talking over people’s heads, patronizing or insulting them, or being impatient with them due to your perception of their ignorance. Chances are, if you can gently help them toward attaining conscious incompetence (so that they start to acknowledge what they don’t know), you will be the first person they will ask for tips on how to reach conscious competence.

Finance professionals should never stop learning. We have to constantly apply ourselves to develop and grow. We can routinely progress through the four stages and apply the paradigm of learning whether we are developing technical skills, knowledge of our field and industry, social and relational skills, or more.

In what areas could you benefit from working through the four stages of competence? How can you help others achieve success in the process?

Think about the last time you tried something new. Perhaps you started a new job. Or maybe you took up a hobby that required a particular skill set, such as sailing.

Continually learning characterizes our growth and development throughout life. Early on we learn to communicate using gestures and language. We develop physical and cognitive abilities to overcome obstacles and accomplish our objectives. Especially in the modern world characterized by rapid change, we constantly have to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

I was recently talking with someone about emotional intelligence and its contribution toward career success. Just as I had been ignorant of the topic prior to reading articles and delving into a study course recently, this person had never heard of EI or EQ.

After explaining emotional intelligence on a cursory level and sharing a resource about the topic, I mentioned the following four-step paradigm that I was exposed to in a training course:

• Unconsciously incompetent – You don’t know what you don’t know. If you are ignorant about the existence of an area of study or a skill set, you are incompetent without even being aware. Someone who has never heard of accounting doesn’t even realize his ignorance of debits and credits, general ledgers, and account reconciliations. Or perhaps you mistakenly believe you are proficient in some area, so you don’t realize that you need further training and development. A person in that state is unwilling and unable to learn until progressing to the next level.
• Consciously incompetent – You know what you don’t know. You have some depth and breadth of knowledge about the subject matter, but you remain ignorant of many basics and details. If you have heard of accounting and know about terms like debits and credits but are unaware of what they mean and how the concepts are applied, you are consciously incompetent.
• Consciously competent – You know what you know, but you have to focus and think about the subject matter. If you have a working knowledge about the mechanics of debits and credits and can clearly explain the concept, perhaps while pausing to think about it, you are probably consciously competent. You can still progress one step further.
• Unconsciously competent – Your mastery of the knowledge and skills has become “second nature.” You know the subject matter “like the back of your hand,” and you can perform “practically in your sleep.” If you can explain and apply concepts such as debits and credits, ledgers, reconciliations, revenue recognition, and more, without missing a beat, you are an unconsciously competent accountant.

To put this in perspective, consider someone who didn’t know about emotional intelligence and had perhaps unconsciously developed habits that ran counter to sound EI principles. Becoming aware of emotional intelligence could be the first step toward new levels of professional success.

Soon I will share some practical tips on applying the four stages of learning.