For a while, I thought competence equaled being flexible, cooperative, kind, polite, meticulous, loyal, sympathetic, strategic, prestigious, adaptable, etc. Don’t get me wrong, these are often very nice characteristics but let us stop mistaking them for competence. Whether this is competence, OR NOT, depends on the situation, the people around you, the context, and the task. It depends on your definition of these adjectives and how you think they should be played out in that specific moment.
Competence is not your ability to fit in. Or your ability to suppress your emotions and pick your fights. Competence is NOT your ability to figure out the winning team.
Now I believe that true competence starts with knowing yourself. Self-leadership, self-awareness. Being able to understand what you need, what you want. Being able to express yourself. Being able to stand up for yourself and have a healthy ego that protects your purpose, your boundaries, your integrity, and your dignity. Competence is to figure out your purpose and to have the courage to pursue it. Competence is to never stop evolving and the ability to let go. Competence is to have the ability to interpret your emotions and express them accordingly.
Competence is the ability to create the life I want. True COMPETENCE IS SELF AWARENESS
Since most of us live in a culture that often paints a totally different picture of competence it becomes unavoidable for me to keep re-define stuff …