To Encourage Learning, Reward Both Success and Failure
By Michael Masterson
It's tempting to give a promising employee more freedom than he can realistically handle. It may seem like a good way to boost his self-esteem. But if you do and he screws up, whose fault is it? Yours. So, yes, praise your employees for good work and goals met. But also praise mistakes that were "smart" tries.
Not always easy to do. The trick is to define the employee's limits beforehand. That way, you are much less likely to face disappointment. And if and when you do, you will feel as if the failure was your responsibility as much as anyone else's. If you feel that way, it will be easy to say, "Nice try."
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"Any act often repeated soon forms a habit; and habit allowed, steady gains in strength." Tryon Edwards Just as each and every one of us had to learn to tie our shoelaces, no one was born knowing how to be a successful entrepreneur. Every entrepreneur had to learn how to be effective at what he was trying to accomplish -- and practice being effective until it became a habit. I don't talk about it much, but before I opened my chain of hypnosis centers, I traveled all over the world, learning from the best neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis teachers. I was certified in NLP by Richard Bandler himself, the creator of NLP. I studied with Robert Dilts, Michael Hall, and every other big name out there. I am telling you this because I want you to know that when I share something I know about learning new skills, you can pretty much bet it is based on a concept I was taught by a master. Today, I want to share an NLP learning model with you. Once you understand the model, you can leverage it to establish new skills rapidly. First, I'll explain the model. Then, I'll give you examples to make it easier to understand. And then, I'll show you how to use it to make yourself more effective at any skill you've chosen to pursue. The 4 Stages of Learning a New Skill Stage 1. Unconscious Incompetence. This is when you don't know how to do it, and you don't even know that you don't know. Stage 2. Conscious Incompetence. This is when you know what you don't know, and you begin to work on learning it. Stage 3. Conscious Competence. This is when you know what you need to know -- and you can do it. But it takes all of your concentration. Stage 4. Unconscious Competence. This is when you can perform the skill without even thinking about it. It's now a habit. Okay. Now let me give you two examples of how this works. Learning the alphabet... Stage 1. When you were very young, you didn't even know that there were 26 letters in the alphabet. You didn't know what you didn't know. Hence, you were unconsciously incompetent. Stage 2. You learned that there was such a thing as an alphabet, and that it had 26 letters, but you didn't know them all. You knew what you didn't know. Hence, you were consciously incompetent. Stage 3. You finally learned all the letters. So you knew what you needed to know. But in order to write a word, you had to really concentrate on each letter. Hence, you were consciously competent. Stage 4. Now, you can write words without even thinking about it. Hence, you are unconsciously competent. Just to make sure you really get it, let's look at another example. Driving a car... Stage 1. There was a time when you had no idea of what was involved in driving a car. Hence, you were unconsciously incompetent. Stage 2. You started to learn about driving. You read the book. Your parents explained what they were doing while they were driving. You asked questions and got answers. You gave it a try -- with Mom or Dad in the car -- and realized you still had a lot to learn. You were consciously incompetent. Stage 3. After a lot of practice, you could drive. But you had to really concentrate on what you were doing. You were consciously competent. Stage 4. By now, you've driven so much that it's become automatic. You no longer have to think about what to do, you just do it. You are an unconsciously competent driver. But... are you unconsciously competent at parallel parking? Most people are not. They haven't parallel parked enough. They are consciously competent at it -- meaning they can parallel park. But first they have to turn down the radio, stop talking, and focus. What all this has to do with the achievement of your goals... The parallel parking example illustrates that when you are working on developing the skills you need to achieve your goals, simply being effective from time to time won't help you fully establish the habit. To become unconsciously competent at those skills, you must recognize which stage you are at -- and then understand what you need to do to move to the next stage. More than likely, there are still a few areas where you are unconsciously competent -- things you simply don't know you don't know. So your job right now is to become cognizant of what you need to know to achieve your main goal. That will help you transition to Stage 2. In Stage 2, you will start to learn what you need to know to be effective. In Stage 3, you will apply your newfound knowledge. But you must do it consciously, consistently, and often. Before long, you will pass on to Stage 4: unconscious competence. At that point, you will be effective by habit, performing the skills that ensure your success without even thinking about it. P.S. What are you doing this weekend? Why not join me, and a dozen other wealth building and Internet marketing experts, in Delray Beach, Florida for ETR's Info-Marketing Bootcamp? 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LW, a friend and colleague, is a master of good hiring. His first hire -- an entry-level marketing assistant -- bloomed into a world-class marketing pro who is already running his company for him. The two of them hired another superb employee who helped them double their sales in one year. Now, the staff consists of four people, and they are doing as much business as it would normally take eight people to do. It takes time and effort to hire good people, but it's well worth it. Here are the four most important things I've learned: 1. Make the commitment. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. You can't expect to hire great people if you spend just a few hours working on it. I don't like interviewing, so I have to resist the impulse to hire the first decent person who comes along. 2. Look for the right things. Intelligence is important. But I'd put it third on my list. The two most important things to look for are attitude and aptitude. 3. Flee flaws. Generally speaking, a job candidate is at his best during the interview. If something about him seems "wrong," don't ignore it -- especially if it concerns qualities that are important for the job. I've found that the personal quirks that surface during an interview are like the tip of an iceberg. What you see is a very small part of what you will have to deal with later. 4. Don't worry too much about specific experience. Yes, it's good to know that the person you hire can do the technical work from day one. But on day seven or day 14, you'll wish you had opted for the better, though perhaps untried and unproven, prospect. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended----------------------------------------------------- Are You Your Only Employee? - The need to hire superstar employees to help you run your business may seem far off if you're just starting out. But Michael Masterson can help you get to that stage sooner than you think. In his Wall Street Journal bestseller, Ready, Fire, Aim, he'll teach you how to make your business profitable within two years. At the same time, you'll be building a strong foundation to keep your business growing year after year.
Lost at Work? Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Directions
By Michael Masterson
Like the stereotypical male who won't ask for directions when lost, many workers clam up when they get stuck on a job. It's an avoidable mistake. Getting a hand from others is an important part of being a member of any team. You'll be better off if you mention your difficulty to a colleague. Chances are good that either of two things will happen: 1. He'll offer a helpful hint to get you back on track. 2. Just talking about the obstacle will get you moving in the right direction. Don't be ashamed or afraid to ask for help from your mates. Taking a small amount of time to refocus is likely to save you a lot of time in the long run.
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"Inspire the world." "The article by Michael Masterson about 'envisioning,' combined with Dr. Rao's 'Constant Companion' essay, made me more calm about my well-being and confident in my efforts to revive my business. Thank you for such plain wisdom. "I enjoy especially the philosophical aspects of ETR's articles, mainly those concerning human nature and/or behavior. Thank you for your attention. Keep up the good work. Inspire the world." Pericles Konidaris
Komotini, Greece
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Today's Words That Work: Cognizant To be cognizant (KOG-nuh-zunt) -- from the Latin for "to learn" -- is to be fully aware. Example (as used by Rich Schefren today): "Your job right now is to become cognizant of what you need to know to achieve your main goal."
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