Reaching your Level of Incompetence

In my last post I spoke about some of the reasons that might cause a person to reach their level of incompetence as defined in The Peter Principle. As you go through your career, make sure you do not reach this level of incompetence that bars you from further progress in your chosen field. To achieve this, keep the following checklist of questions in mind:

Do I want to be in this job a year from now?If your answer is yes, the first reason automatically becomes invalid where you are concerned.

Can I think of three examples where I realized or was told by someone that I was being too personal? If your answer is yes, you need to view your job with caution and see how you can detach yourself a bit.

When was the last time that I felt truly wonderful when I was told something by someone about my job that was not necessarily positive? If your answer is “within the last two weeks,” you’re in good shape. If it is over six months, then you need to seriously think about where you are with respect to the Peter Principle.

When was the last time something new I learned on the job greatly energized and excited me? Again, if your answer is “within the last two weeks,” you’re in pretty good shape, and if this hasn’t happened in six months, you might want to question whether you are in the right job.