In Genuine Curiosity's Incompetence is wonderful post, he discuss the four stages of learning model. A person goes from unconsciously incompetent to consciously incompetent to consciously competent and finally to unconsciously competent. This mirrors one of my analysis on hiring people. I learn this from somewhere but I forgot where: You can draw up a two by two matrix:
| incompetent | competent | |
|---|---|---|
| not self aware (unconscious) | avoid at all cost -- "I thing I know it all" | Hire !! undiscovered star |
| Self aware (conscious) | Hire -- willing to learn | avoid depending on personality -- star vs diva |
And look for the undiscovered star or the "willing to learn" as you next hire.