How to Use the Core Competency Quadrants to Track Career Progression and Goals

(Includes a free spreadsheet template.)

I’ll preface this post with a note that you need to have a good idea of the roles and responsibilities of each level of position at your company in order for this to be effective.

Quick link to the template we’ll be using: Competency Quadrant Example Spreadsheet [MAKE A COPY]

What do I do heeeeeeeeeeere. Photo by Razvan Chisu on Unsplash

If you’re at a newer company, get tight on what the differences look like between levels and how expectations change at each level. It will save you heaps of hassle in the future.

The Core Competency Quadrants

The idea is simple, you’ve got four quadrants for every chunk of learning you do in life. At any moment, you can fall into one of these four quadrants.

1. Unconscious Incompetence: You don’t know what you don’t know
2. Conscious Incompetence: You know what you need to know, but you’re not any good at it yet (that’s okay!)
3. Conscious Competence: You know how to do the thing, but you need to think about it as you’re going through
4. Unconscious Competence: The skill becomes automatic and you don’t need to think about it