The Learning Curve

In an entrepreneurial gathering recently, I heard young leaders talking about the "learning curve." They were discussing the process by which new employees made themselves more valuable to their organizations and the difficulties they as leaders faced in that process.
Abraham Maslow talked about the 4 levels of learning and how each of us, theoretically, goes through essentially the same transformation, the learning curve.
Maslow's learning sequence begins with Unconscious Incompetence, the state of being unaware. We don't know that we don't know, much like an infant being unaware of quantum physics, or a new employee not having a practical grasp of your organization's culture.
The second level of learning, is, Conscious Incompetence, the state of being aware of our lack of knowledge and capability and how it might affect us. Perhaps you've heard a great speaker and knew that you needed to practice those skills if you were to become a better communicator. Or you may have had a discussion with an employee about how their desire for more capability would be an asset to the company.
The third level of learning is Conscious Competence. When we all learned how to drive, for a few weeks or so we felt gangly, with lots to remember and much to do to be safe. Then slowly, we became competent and the act of driving became more natural. Achieving a level of competence is a significant achievement, even for those of us just learning to drive, or learning how to be successful as a member of an organization. Employees who reach the level of Conscious Competence can then begin to demonstrate some autonomy, some creativity and their true abilities can begin to contribute to the organization.
Finally, Maslow describes the highest level of learning as Unconscious Competence, the state of being where we know that we know. We can perform our responsibilities so well that we no longer require constant conscious thought, we're becoming automatic. Accomplishment builds confidence and therefore personal and organizational value.
With an understanding of this kind of learning curve, leaders can help, assist, challenge, encourage and even permit failure on the part of new employees, all with the understanding that it's a natural process. From Unconscious Incompetence to Unconscious Competence, good leaders help others learn in order to build organizational assets.