VCoL in Action: Take skill mapping to the next level
Before you read this article, check out its predecessor, VCoL in action: skill mapping. In that article, I explained how to make a skill map. In the present article, I describe how you can customize your own skill-building expedition by mapping the skills in LecticaLive’s Assessment reports.
Below is the first section of a LecticaLive LDMA report. As you can see, the “Decision-making process” description in the first section lays out several components of the decision-making process skill. We think of the decision-making process skill as a mega-skill, so it’s useful to think of these component skills as mini-skills. The “Current skills” and “What’s next practices” below the decision-making process skills section focus on some of the micro-skills that relate to these mini-skills.
Make your skill map
Altogether, the three sections of the report shown here yield numerous skills, providing a great opportunity to use the technique described in the skill mapping article to create a skill map.
You can start with any of the six decision-making process mini-skills listed below. Then search the list of Current skills and the skills targeted in What’s next for micro-skills that relate to your chosen mini-skill. Once you have added all of the relevant micro-skills that are listed in the report, look for skill gaps. Can you think of any relevant micro-skills that are missing? If, so, go ahead and add them.
Once you are happy with your map, ask yourself if you are satisfied with your current level of virtuosity on any of its micro-skills. Check off any skills that meet this criterion (as shown on the skill map at the top of this page). Then, select a micro-skill to practice, micro-VCoL style. VCoL the skill until practicing it has become a habit and you’re satisfied with your level of virtuosity, then select another micro-skill.
By building up skills one micro-skill and micro-VCoL at a time, we lay down a rich foundation that will eventually allow us to practice its related mini and macro-skills at a high level of virtuosity. And because we’re doing all of this in-the-moment through varied experience in the real world, your skills will be robust enough to allow you to adapt them to a wide range of contexts. This is agility.
