From Conscious Incompetence to Conscious Competence

As a CEO of a roofing business, understanding the concept of “conscious incompetence” is essential in both gaining an edge over your competition and ensuring your business is successful.

To put it simply, conscious incompetence is the point at which you recognize that you do not have the necessary skills, knowledge, or experience to complete a task. However, it also serves as an important milestone on the road to success because it allows you to identify areas that need improvement, be aware of and take advantage of resources available to you, and evaluate situations from different angles in an effort to find a solution.

First, you don't know what you do not know. 
Then you know, what you don't know. (Go Fix That!) 
Then you know, what you know. 
Finally you don't know, what you know. 

The purpose of consciously recognizing your incompetence is twofold: first, it can provide much-needed motivation and inspiration; and second, it can serve as a driving force for growth and development.

When you have reached the stage of conscious incompetence–the point at which you can recognize what areas require improvement–you are armed with the knowledge and motivation needed to continue working toward success. Working through this allows CEOs to think strategically about their business objectives; this will help them focus on long-term goals and avoid distractions that detract from their overall mission.

One of the most important components of reaching success through conscious incompetence is understanding what resources are available in order to improve your skillset. As the owner of a roofing business, this can encompass anything from researching best practices in sales and marketing to signing up for industry seminars or workshops. The point is to actively try and fix it. 

Additionally, committing to developing relationships within the roofing industry gives you access to invaluable resources such as experienced professionals who can provide helpful advice. I know one roofer who went to all the industry events this year, including some small ones, he visit a roofing company that is a client of ours, and has made massive steps in his roofing company because he went from being on his own island surrounded by competitors in his local market and zero support - to being one of the more well known names and getting support and help from the entire industry and was able to secure us as a consultant and felt very good about his decision only because he fixed his incompetence. (All the respect in the world on that) 

So don't sleep on the  great source for learning about new strategies, by attending conferences or trade shows specific to roofing or construction; these events often provide abundant opportunities for networking as well as developing expertise on relevant topics like product knowledge or safety standards.

Finally, recognizing one's level of competence with respect to any given task is crucial in order for progress to be made. It's easy to want perfection right away, but achieving excellence takes time; consciously recognizing mistakes allows us not only to gauge our progress but also make sure we are taking all necessary steps toward reaching our goals. Keeping track of improvements over time helps establish future benchmarks that will motivate and encourage further growth initiatives–and eventually success! (This is why we love hubspot for its "single source of truth" nature and the ability to collect so much data, and then make data driven decisions from a place of conscious competence)

Overall, “conscious incompetence” provides CEOs with an invaluable foundation upon which they may build upon their business expertise while acknowledging weaknesses simultaneously. By adopting this mindset early on in their career journey–whether or not they realize it–CEOs will be better equipped with the skills needed when faced with difficult decisions or challenging tasks down the road. In other words: now you know you suck…but don’t worry–you’re getting better! So start putting in the practice and effort necessary—before long, you'll suck less than before!

Are you ready to commit to the hard work of embracing your incompetence and growing your skills and knowledge? Maybe attend Roofing Process Conference in Orlando this year!