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Episode Overview

In this episode, Chris and Bill scrutinize the “Four Stages of Competence” model — a familiar framework in coaching and skill acquisition that assumes learners progress linearly from ignorance to mastery. This discussion reframes learning as a dynamic reorganization of behavior in response to constraint, not a climb up a competence ladder.

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – Why We’re Talking About “Learning”

04:00 – The “Four Stages” Origin Story

07:00 – Linearity vs. Complexity

10:00 – “Incompetence” Isn’t Incompetent

14:00 – Coaching Without Context Fails

18:00 – Behavioral Recognition Over Labels

23:00 – You’re Not Coaching a Blank Slate

28:00 – The Limits of Cueing

32:00 – Adaptive Behavior, Not Error

36:00 – Evolving the Model (Again)

41:00 – Interventions as Design, Not Correction

45:00 – Wrapping Up: The System Solves Itself

Key Takeaways

Movement — even if awkward or compensatory — reflects the best available solution to the system’s current constraints. That’s competence, just not your preferred version.

Adaptation doesn’t follow steps. It unfolds in response to pressure, structure, and context. That process is inherently non-linear.

Labels like “incompetent” blind us to what's actually happening. Watch what people do. Understand what it's solving for.

Models Should Breathe

Even the quadrant model evolved through testing. If your model isn’t helping you see clearly, evolve it — or discard it.

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

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