The Consultant's Code - How to Build Intelligence - Part 1

The Consultant's Code - How to Build Intelligence - Part 1

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”

—Albert Einstein

In the past, intelligence was believed to be fixed; however, more recent research shows that intelligence can be increased, developed, and improved. NeuroNation provides many online exercises designed to build and improve intelligence, based on research by professors and doctors from well-known institutions such as Columbia University, the University of Zurich, Pennsylvania State University, and Duke University. Dr. Michael Falkenstein and Tiina Salminen, PhD, state that with targeted cognitive training, people can improve their brain at the cellular level. Therefore, intelligence can be improved.

Believe First that You Can

Mindset is the biggest advocate or enemy when it comes to developing one’s intelligence. I’ve seen people with tremendous knowledge to share who think they are smarter than everyone else, and who therefore put in less effort when it comes to paying attention. They may also be less patient with others or complicate subject matter to show how smart they are. I’ve also seen people who aren’t very knowledgeable with the same behavior, and that mix is dangerous.

Then there are others who are very knowledgeable and competent, but feel they are not. Some people struggle with concepts and have labelled themselves stupid. Each of these scenarios will hold a person back from fully developing their intelligence.

The best mindset to have is one of a lifelong learner. This gives you the humility to accept the information you don’t understand, but also assures that you have the ability to learn any concept you may be struggling with. This mindset will develop a real hunger to learn. Through exploring new information, you’ll also find interests that you otherwise may never have known you had.

The motivational speaker Brian Tracy says, “Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.”

Moving Through the Competencies

In Chapter One, I referred to competence as the ability to execute a task effectively, which requires using the skills you’ve learned with your aptitude. There are four overall stages of competence with any type of skill. They are:

- unconscious incompetence,
- conscious incompetence,
- conscious competence, and
- unconscious competence.

Unconscious Incompetence

Unconscious incompetence is when someone does not know that they don’t have a skill. This occurs frequently with consultants who underestimate the requirement of a particular skill. This also occurs with consultants who think they can just outwork their level of incompetence.

Unconscious incompetence is also described in many business settings as, “We don’t know what we don’t know.” This happens to many of us who have not experienced something before. To deal with this situation, I recommend gathering as much information as possible prior to experiencing something for the first time. Remove any unknowns that you can to make yourself more competent.

Conscious Incompetence

This is when someone is aware of their level of incompetence. This stage can be a knock to your confidence. You are able to see what is lacking, and fear and anxiety can set in.

This is the stage where effort comes in. You must put together a plan that outlines what skills you require and how and where you will receive the training. Make sure the skills you are deficient in and are focusing on improving are ones that serve your overall plan for your consulting career. Consultants have been known to build skills in areas that they will never use, ultimately wasting precious time.

Conscious Competence

This is a rewarding stage. This is where you realize you have acquired skills. In this stage, you have the capabilities of certain skills, but are also very conscious while you are performing those skills. In this stage, skills still require a lot energy to perform, as your mental abilities continue to focus on performing what you have learned. Remember to execute what you have learned as often as you can, helping to solidify the skill and move you to the last stage of competence. Teaching others the skills you have learned will also lock in your competence.

Unconscious Competence

In this stage, you can execute a skill unconsciously. This occurs when a consultant can pull knowledge or skills or execute something almost out of the blue. Experience and performing a skill correctly many times builds this capability. This is where true professionals work and is where all consultants should strive to practice their craft. Correct, focused repetition of a skill will bring you to this stage of competence. 

About The Consultant's Code Blog

The Consultant's Code Blog is a blog that contains excerpts from the #1 International Best Selling book The Consultants Code: Four Pillars To Success In Your Career And Life.  The Consultant's Code focuses on skills that will help separate you from all of the other consultants by showing you how to properly develop and use the four pillars of success. The four pillars are intelligence, effort, likability and intent. Each pillar is discussed in detail and shows how common misconceptions that have been taught or believed has been holding consultants back. These misconceptions and inaccurate beliefs not only affect the consultants they negatively affect clients.

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