I
Accomplishment has at least six
distinct levels of achievement: Skill, Job, Riches, Awards, Medals, and
Stardom.
Skill
relates to the assimilation of knowledge and enough formative practice that one
can perform the endeavor with confidence when performing alone or in a
controlled environment, such as a lab or class.
The activities at this level lead to assimilation of the knowledge and
techniques necessary to perform the endeavor satisfactorily.
Job is an
acid test of the endeavor. It relates to
the willingness and continuing interest to pursue it, rain or sunshine, good
times and bad, in times of growth and sideways plodding, and commitment to it
for the fulfillment of obligations either to others or to self.
Riches
relates to being able to perform the endeavor at a level of proficiency that
produces profit. This refers to being
well paid for performance in the marketplace.
Activities at this level relate to the practical application of the
skill in a journeyman-like manner that results in utility for which others are
willing to pay.
Awards
is where the performer demonstrates his skill to objective others who are
superior and knowledgeable in what the endeavor entails and can pass judgment
on the performance. The activities at
this level result in achieving a level of performance that is recognized as
superior when judged against the accepted standards and norms for the endeavor.
Medals
is the level where the performer is better when compared to others in
competition. The immediate example is
sports but it also relates to being successful in auditions, publishing,
negotiating, anywhere that the performer rises above other practitioners of the
same skill. The activities at this level
relate to building the confidence necessary to compete against other performers
who are likewise seeking superiority.
Stardom
is when a wider audience who appreciates his achievement acclaims the
performer; an audience who understands what top performance is and acclaims it
when they see it. Activities at this
level relate to earning the adulation of people who vicariously participate in
the performer’s success.
II
The relationship
of effort (x axis) to accomplishment (y axis) within each level can be plotted
as a curve that is asymptotic to a line representing perfection for each
level. Progress through each of these
levels is an end in itself. Since the
amount of effort required to reach perfection is infinite, there is a point/
region/ place/ time/ level of achievement where the increase in level is so
slight compared to effort that further pursuit of perfection in the endeavor
becomes futile.
Being aware of
approaching a level of futility is critical; it requires decision. One can continue to (a) accomplish with
incrementally more effort, (b) abandon the endeavor, or (c) decide to move to
the next level. For example, as the
performer approaches futility at the Skill level, he can choose to continue for
the fun of it, as a hobby, or go on to the Job level. If he should choose to go on there is a step
function change in the pursuit of the endeavor where he is no longer working to
hone his skill but now to earn and make a profit from the application of
it. This has a totally different
complexion than the Skill level.
This same step function change occurs at each
level of futility. Each new level is
built on the previous and some effort has to be spent revisiting those levels
to assure that the basic skills haven’t been lost unless they have become
obsolete and no longer required.
One may find he
is going in completely different directions from one level to another. I am reminded of the comic actor who realized
a degree of stardom as such, yet his skill was playing the marimba. In the beginning there was the marimba and in
the end there was this clown. The endeavor
turned out to be Performing. A marimba player became a clown because being a
clown allowed him to reach stardom in his endeavor, to perform.
III
The movement
from one level of accomplishment to another is a process and not a single
event. Innovation is utilized repeatedly
to envision desired results and how to accomplish them until the details are
sufficiently described to be realized. A
clear and vivid vision of what that is, and what it entails, is fundamental so
all of the required personal resources can be focused on the effort. The vision will never be perfect; it must be
made and refined. One can continually refine the vision as he becomes more
aware of what it takes to reach this, or the next, level of the endeavor
This vision, no
matter how incomplete and unrealistic, is the starting point and it needs to be
written because writing requires and records thought processes and allows
review and revision. Then it can be
formulated into terse statements that allow one to be quickly reminded of what
he is trying to accomplish.
IV
There are
different strategies employed as one makes progress through the various
levels. Three that seem obvious are the
puzzle, which relates to the rules and framework of an endeavor; the game,
achieving successful results within those rules and framework; and the dance,
moving in prescribed motions to produce desired results.
V
Underlying all
of this theory is the discipline required to DO IT, and if failing to succeed,
regroup and DO IT again, this time more effectively. Directed activity is the force of
accomplishment. The best laid plans are
for naught unless followed by action.
No comments:
Post a Comment