The four levels of competency and “accidental” genius:

When I was talking to my neighbor Natalie recently; the woman from Israel, she had shared with me, the book the Big Leap, by Gay Hendricks I was extremely interested in the four levels of competency that she described to me from the book, as well as its reference to genius. The four levels of competency, as I understood it are: 1) something we are not competent at; 2) something we are competent at, no more, no less; like cleaning my room, lol; 3) a level at which people have achieved an expertise; and 4) the level of genius, where all of joy and passion seem to coincide, and elevate us to an area where we are truly great.

I am adding my own interpretation to our relatively brief conversation, but hey, its my blog; anyway, Natalie was describing how a lot of people are kind of kept at the third level of competency, and do not take that leap to their true genius or passion; due to Gay Hendricks writes, often impressions or imprints left upon us in childhood. Genius in that respect is something that is available to virtually anyone of us; if and when they decide to take that Big Leap, or develop the courage to reach for those goals.

Two thoughts: 1) is that I alluded to Natalie, that in my case, the leap to genius, was a relatively accidental thing. It is not something I planned on; due to circumstances beyond my control, i pushed into a situation, where I had to find and discover my inner strength and true sense of passion. If I had just kept to my “normal” course, I probably would never have stumbled upon such a place. 2) I am reminded of that conversation with Natalie, due to my interaction with the Mediator group at LinkedIn.  Many professional associations to me, seem to be a group of people standing around discussing their credentials and perspectives, rather than creating the kind of change that must occur.

The kind of change that must occur, is that mediation and positive communication must increasingly fight for its share of the market place for moral, economic and social reasons. My battle is that, to increase Calm Interventions’ mediation’s share of the market place predicated on a change in the underlying culture, where people reject tyrannical forms of interaction and pseudo-justice, and instead make deep and rational choices about their own lives, based upon being empowered. While I am sorry that this group of mediators did not respond to my intro more positively or even in a neutral sense; I am not shocked, based on my experience with human nature.

To me it relates at least in some manner to those four levels of competencies, and those who push themselves or are pushed to their own level of genius; which as I say, for the most part exists or at least potentially exists in all of us. I was surely pushed, pulled and cajoled into finding my genius, that is for sure. I believe the doers of the world are those who live in that fourth state of competency; those who have pushed themselves or somehow gotten themselves to that level of genius. In other words, if mediation today occupies $5 billion or less in the overall conflict resolution field, and I believe it should be $60 billion; then I will commit my heart and soul working to bring that change.

Appropo of being Super Sunday, it is similar to what Teddy Roosevelt said, about the heros, win or lose, being on the field of life; while the critics are in the stands.  Jon