This phrase is one of the most used when I'm training a new C3 Team Member along with "We don't clean everything every time. We clean everything  over time". I wanted to dive into some mindset to encourage you, regardless of whether you're on the C3 Team, a solo cleaner, or a cleaning company figuring out the basics of growing a team. Let's first explore what it means to put in your reps as I lay out the construct known as the 4 Stages of Competence. I will use cleaning vernacular and share bits and pieces of the C3 training system to help anyone listening. 

Stage 1: Unconscious Incompetence - You just started cleaning professionally and barely know what you're doing. You're just doing what you think is right. If you don't have anyone training you or mentoring you through this stage, you'll never get out because you won't ever know that you're terrible! Most solo cleaners and cleaning team members start here. This stage doesn't exist in the C3 Experience.

Stage 2: Conscious Incompetence - You know you're not a good cleaner. This awareness is conscious. You want to get better to make your business viable or make your employer happy they hired you. You're following checklists and training videos and everything is still confusing. I talk about this stage in "Where is the Flavored Water?". This is me in the grocery store. I want to be better at finding items. But I'm woefully awful and my wife knows it.  This is where most cleaners truly begin. Don't fret at how slow you clean or how poorly you do it. Are you following the system, the checklists, the training? You will improve. Be okay with being not okay at cleaning yet. This stage represents a brand new C3 Team Member going through orientation, training videos, and in-person training. In the case of a standard 3-hour office in the C3 model, you're probably getting Excellence scores around 6 and taking 5 hours to finish. 

Stage 3: Conscious Competence - Ah, you are finally a quality cleaner. You've been following the cleaning checklists and training videos. You get it all done and you do a good job. You're competent at cleaning. Congratulations! Don't rush the process. Don't try to get faster yet. Just keep following the checklists and training. You will continue to become more competent and at some point it will just CLICK! Your brain will store the program and you'll move from conscious to unconscious competence. This stage represents a C3 Team Member after a few solo cleans. In the case of a standard 3-hour office in the C3 model, you've achieved the Excellence score of 8 but you still take 4 to 5 hours to clean! You're doing great! Remember, excellence before efficiency.

Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website