Competence — Meaning, Definition, and How This Core Value Shapes Your Life
What Is Competence as a Core Value?
Competence values mastery, skill depth, and doing things well. People high in Competence invest in sharpening tools, frameworks, and domain knowledge.
Why Competence Matters
Honoring Competence helps you:
- produce reliable quality,
- earn trust through expertise,
- reduce waste and rework,
- accelerate decision clarity.
How Competence Shows Up (High vs. Low Expression)
High Expression
- studies fundamentals deeply,
- refines techniques over time,
- sets performance baselines,
- seeks rigorous feedback.
Low Expression
- relies on improvisation only,
- tolerates mediocre execution,
- avoids deliberate practice,
- resists standards.
Common Challenges of High Competence
- perfectionism slowing shipping,
- impatience with novices,
- undervaluing emotional factors,
- over-specialization risk.
Competence in Conflict With Other Values
Competence vs. Equality
Equality emphasizes equal voice and pacing; Competence may prioritize expertise over consensus.
Tension: skill-weighted influence vs. uniform participation.
Competence vs. Compassion
Compassion softens standards to support feelings; Competence enforces craft quality.
Tension: emotional cushioning vs. technical rigor.
Examples of Competence in Daily Life
- Practicing fundamentals beyond initial proficiency.
- Documenting processes to prevent recurring mistakes.
- Seeking specialized mentoring.
- Using post‑mortems to raise standards.