The Illusion of Competence: An Innovative Leader's Guide to Innovative Leadership

I didn’t understand. I moved from traditional retail to optical retail. The industries were different, and yet, programs were similar. It was as if they were reading from the same playbook. I had seen front-line associates not buying into corporate programs throughout my career, and now I was seeing it again. Maybe the playbook was the problem? “The Seven Habits of Highly effective people” was in the manager office when I switched to optical. I’d heard of this “Stephen Covey” book at my previous employer, but it wasn’t required reading. The optical retailer held a national conference in Orlando, FL in the spring of 2006. “Fierce Conversations" by Susan Scott was featured at the conference, to the rumored tune of $2 million. The entire exercise was a boondoggle, forgotten company-wide within months, but my interest had been peaked. Something was wrong across industries. There had to be an underlying cause. The next decade was spent applying theories in the field, while earning Master’s degrees in business and leadership, culminating in The Illusion of Competence, not just a book on leadership, but a new theory in leadership, the first one based on “perception” at the most elemental level of “Emotional Intelligence”. Emotional Intelligence has been misinterpreted. There is not a higher level of Emotional Intelligence. Just the opposite. The Illusion teaches you how to focus your energy at the sub-conscious, and only level of Emotional Intelligence. The Illusion of Competence is written by a store manager, for store managers and their associates. The Illusion describes conditions that “sub-consciously” exist in every office, but can be influenced on a conscious level. You can consciously influence others on a sub-conscious level, and already do so every day. The Illusion of Competence just puts it in an understandable context. Four sub-theories make up The Illusion of Competence The Illusion Your boss isn’t that complicated. She only has so many priorities because the day is only so long. Learn how to use Emotional Intelligence at a sub-conscious level to master the Illusion of Competence. Micro-Efficiency Theory The Illusion of Competence ties human inefficiency to the Second Law of Thermodynamics in a manner never before contemplated. Inefficiency exists across industries at a “Micro” level, and it is costing industries, and it is costing companies $millions annually. The Illusion of Competence teaches you how to break the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and find the time for the things that matter, like customer service, coaching, and development of associates. Food Poisoning Theory If you and I go to a restaurant and get deathly ill, we will do many things the next time we go out, but frequenting that restaurant will not be one of them. Every customer interaction works in this way, with each one potentially giving customers a little food poisoning, or a fatal dose of food poisoning. Learn The First Rule of Customer Loyalty, “There is none”. Food Poisoning Theory uses Emotional Intelligence at its elemental, and only level, to build true customer loyalty, and business for the future. The Theory of Deep Understanding The less you have to think about a subject, the better you must be getting at it; therefore, it stands to reason if you do not have to think about the subject at all, you have achieved “Deep Understanding”. Athletes and skilled entertainers prove the existence of Deep Understanding, but The Illusion of Competence knows Deep Understanding can and has been achieved in business. One thing The Illusion will give you is the implication of crossing “The Plain of Understanding” alone while others remain on the other side. The Illusion of Competence does not teach you how to achieve Deep Understanding, but at least now you are aware of its existence. The Illusion of Competence is the first Leadership Advancement in 50 years, and the first leadership theory developed in the 21st century.

Biography The first time I achieved Deep Understanding? 1981. I was 15, and I had a gift. I was the best Asteroids player on the planet, having played 55 hours on a single token. A newspaper journalist offered the first hint of Deep Understanding with the following two paragraphs, “Branson plays the game almost sub-consciously, leaving him free to talk to friends and passer-by. His hand movements are smooth and lightning-quick, with the deft touch credited to pianists but seen also in typists and skilled adding machine operators”. “After a long bout of Asteroids, Branson says he can see the screen before him even in his sleep, a phenomenon familiar with truckers and motorists who drive all night to make time”. The second time I attained Deep Understanding? Racquetball. Five New Mexico State titles and numerous other wins later, I realized racquetball and Asteroids had something in common. Neither required any thought while playing. The third time I attained Deep Understanding? Right now, the first advancement in #leadership theory in 50 years. Twenty years of knowing something was wrong with leadership, and seeking to find answers, and just like Asteroids and racquetball, I no longer need to think about it. That is The Illusion of Competence. Mark Branson MBA, MSL