Mental model · Deciding
Circle of competence
Circle of competence: Knowing the edge of what you actually understand, and behaving differently outside it.
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Knowing the edge of what you actually understand, and behaving differently outside it.
Try it now
List what you could judge without help. Then list what you know just enough about to be dangerous. Mark the boundary.
What to do with the answer
Outside the boundary, change behaviour: ask someone, take a smaller position, or stay out.
Where it misleads
The edge is exactly where you are worst at seeing it. Other people can often see yours better than you can.
The module it belongs to
- Reflective Thinking — Examine your own reasoning
The book behind it
- Clear thinking — Its big ideas, in our own words.