The complex problems facing us today require the thinking and conversations of masters – across disciplines, industries, organizations, and countries. As an interdependent world system, the decisions and practices of managers and leaders with little or no depth in the areas of their control have impacted us all, whether in financial services, energy, environment, health care or transportation. Do we have the expertise in place or in the wings to address these complex issues? Do we have masterful people in our organizations who are excellent in their fields and so great that they see the importance of crossing the many “aisles” of our own making?

In the last few decades, “filling jobs” has taken precedence over mentoring and developing mastery in a field or profession. Being a generalist became more important than specializing . “Up and comers” were urged into management rather than rewarded for deepening their competence in a profession or trade. Compensation packages have frequently rewarded moving up into management rather than down into the depths and subtle nuances of a profession. Many workers lost incentive or hope of becoming great at their work or making innovative contributions to their organizations. They’ve done whatever was expedient to hold onto their jobs. Deep bench strength gave way to superficial learning experiences for many.


Institutions and organizations need to understand that long-term goals and visions of excellence and life-altering contributions are as valuable as quarterly profits. We need to make mastery of professions and trades a priority once again. We must see the big picture. Mastery is simply not confined to institutions, individuals, and organizations. In a world running out of fossil fuel, clean water, and faced with global warming, terrorism, disease and hunger, man’s need for mastery is greater than ever.



What is Mastery?

Why do some baseball pitchers consistently throw more strikes than others? Win Cy Young Awards one year after another? How does one archeologist break the code to the Mayan civilization? How does a writer like Pat Conroy, or the painter, Jamie Wyeth, or film makers like Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola produce masterpieces?

The answer: Mastery.

Mastery is the ability to perform at the highest level in a specific area of practice – a profession, trade, athletics, science or the arts. Mastery drives invention, promotes change and raises up institutions and societies to greater levels of achievement and innovation. It is a process more than place. It is less about talent and more about passion. It is an unending journey without final destination.

Mastery of any field takes more than knowledge ---- it takes instruction, practice, stamina, setbacks, communities of practice and intentionality. After years of practice, one knows exactly when and how to swing a bat to get a homerun; read a P&L to get at the subtleties of an organization; recognize students’ needs and instantly redesign a presentation; or hear a certain sound and know a machine is about to malfunction.


Mastery Endures

Jobs can be taken away. Mastery cannot. Professions and trades endure. Why? Because high levels of expertise (mastery) in various fields of practice are required to serve the basic human needs of our global community - education, financial security, health and well-being, home and shelter, security, environmental health, spirituality, transportation, etc. Those needs have historically required craftsmen and women to hone their skills and invent practices in order to take care of these basic needs. George Leonard, in his seminal book on MASTERY, claims that it takes 10-17 years to master any profession, trade, sport or art form.



The Mastery Process

Before the Industrial Revolution and mass education, individuals learned their trade, craft or profession through a natural mentoring process, progressing through four levels of learning:

• Beginner or apprentice in the profession/trade – learning and practicing some of the basic practices in the field – new in the profession (0-3 years); needing coaching and mentoring and hours of practicing the basics;

• Individual contributor – able to execute a number of practices with minimal supervision; 4-7 years in the field; needs on-going mentoring to move to the next level of mastery, broadening skills in each practice area;

• Mentor/Coach – so skilled in the profession or trade that others come to the person naturally and spontaneously for feedback and coaching; 8-10 years in the field; unconsciously competent in basic practices;

• Master/Leader – skilled in all the fundamental practice areas in the profession; known throughout the profession for skill and expertise; 10-17 years in the field; seen as a leader and innovator in the profession by others.

People at the master level have learned discipline, work in an area of passion and interest, hang out with others in their profession, and contribute to the growing body of knowledge and practice in the field. The interesting observation is that individuals who have reached the level of master in one area can quickly pick up another profession or trade – for they’ve learned to learn.


We are unconsciously participating in the mastery process every day. We buy a new car and learn we have many new “bells and whistles” – beginner; we then learn to maximize our use of most enhancements with the help of the owner’s manual or trial and error - individual contributor; we teach others how to use the Blue Tooth, the GPS, DVD, etc - coach

The more aspects of life we master, the more expert learners we become. Learning and mastery create more neuronal connections in the brain, therefore our ability to deal with complexity and speed is enhanced. People who have mastered any area of life are not only more competent but more confident. They’ve learned to learn and can be effective and peaceful in a quickly changing world.


Importance of Mastery for Organizations Competitiveness

Global competitiveness and leadership in any industry or organization require having masters in the core professions of the industry. The original founders of most organizations were seasoned in the core professions of their industry. Founders are frequently pioneers. However, success in an industry often breeds complacence. Look at the U.S. car industry. Until 2005, the primary energy source for cars has been gasoline. This has been true in spite of the oil embargo in the early 80’s. How could the U.S. lose leadership in the industry it invented? Because seeing the trends and new possibilities in each of the core technologies (design, fuel, efficiencies, manufacturing, etc.) was downplayed by leaders and Boards who were more interested in the short-term results and current stock prices than in continual research and innovation. Now that the U.S. has definitely lost the leadership position, the Hybrid car is on the market.


Masters or experts in a field see the trends. They are usually at the frontiers. Organizations, however, often want to replicate past successes. They get fixated on profitability and process reengineering rather than innovation. We need people with a high level of mastery who have the historical background to see the implications of seemingly subtle choices and the courage to lead the way. Masters in a field have the networks and respect from others that inspire confidence and action. We need to create strong partnerships between the masterful leaders in any organization and those chosen to “run” the organization.

A study of over 1,700 fast-growing start-up companies revealed that most of their CEOs had more than ten years’ experience in their industry. Depth in a field and passion gives great leaders that seemingly intuitive sense of what will and won’t work. They can “smell” opportunity and timing. They build organizations to embody their visions.

We’ve seen several pioneering organizations go out of business or become less competitive because they no longer had leaders who were masters in the core professions and trades required to enhance the organization. Look at Polaroid, Pan Am, Sears, Continental, and A&T. Why? Because the people running them were general managers with little experience in the professions that originally made them great. Leadership is always in a field of endeavor and mastery-specific. Management is not. We can give someone a management position. Only they can earn the title of “leader” in the field.


HR’s Role in Developing Mastery

Talent management systems either help or hinder mastery of a particular profession or trade. Listed below are several ways HR professionals can assist management in developing an appetite and culture for mastery:

• Build consensus with the leadership on the core and secondary professions/trades required to accomplish the organization mission and strategic initiatives;

• Clearly define and communicate the practices and competencies required for different levels of mastery in each profession;

• Distinguish the practices and competencies needed to become masterful in a profession or trade from those “soft skills” required to work successfully in organizations;

• Identify “masters” in each profession and develop ways to leverage their know-how and mentorship;

• Make it easy for individuals to discover and stay with their passion, get compensated for their contributions and not need to move into management to better their salary;

• Build multiple career paths and support them with compensation systems that reward mastery in each path – e.g. professional tracks, managerial tracks, administrative tracks, etc.; and,

• Showcase people who are making great contributions in their profession – both to the organization and to the field.


Today we need breakthroughs in human achievement – transportation that is environmentally sound; economic theories and practices that equalize the wealth and resources of our world; workplaces that value family, community and health, as well as productivity; education that evokes thinking and relevance; homes that are affordable for the masses; and on and on. As in each of the human achievements cited, we need a convergence of masters in a multiplicity of fields working together to resolve these issues. Mastery is more important than ever.





Caela Farren, Ph.D., is President of MasteryWorks, Inc. in Falls Church, VA. She has been a consultant, entrepreneur, and educator for over 30 years, Caela has worked with hundreds of thousands of people worldwide to get them on their mastery path. Caela’s practice and company builds strong links between changing trends in industries, changing strategies of organizations and the talents and aspirations of individuals. People who work with her company discover their passion, their mastery path, and bring renewed contribution and high performance to their organizations. www.masteryworks.com

Caela is known internationally for her expertise in developing talent management products and services. Her solutions are user-friendly systems that serve the needs of both organizations and individuals. She is frequently quoted in the media regarding her thoughts and advice on changing careers and work patterns in the nation. Hundreds of organizations have implemented talent management solutions from MasteryWorks, Inc. — consulting, workshops, assessment instruments and web-based talent management portals.