Everything’s Fine…Or is it?
There are some things that have become normal. People leave your organization to the tune of at least once a month, but that’s just the “Great Reshuffle.” Aren’t employees quitting instead of working it out lately?
What does it mean when people keep quitting? It seems like there is something missing.
Have You Ever Heard of the Dunning-Kruger Effect?
Psychology Today states, “The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.” In organizations where people are quitting their jobs, exhibiting toxic behavior, and using shame and blame, the Dunning-Kruger effect could be in play.
“The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.”
“But one of the best ways to know if you falling for the Dunning-Kruger effect is to have someone challenge your thinking with coaching.”
A Leader We know
One of our consultants was working with a respected leader. Our consultant found out very quickly that this leader did not want to hear ANY suggestions about steps to take for organizational improvement. Many employees were lodging grievances and complaints about the organization. Their department was being shut down and the team was fighting.
The leader stormed into our consultant’s office and exclaimed, “What am I supposed to do? What do these people even want? There’s nothing else that can be done, this department is shutting down!”
Our consultant responded, “Possibly, they just want to be heard. They want to know that top leaders in the organization care about them. Maybe approach it that way.”
The leader stormed out and the battle raged on. This leader had lost the ability to even hear this small amount of feedback.
What to do to Ensure You’re Leading with Feedback
Mental Models are like the conclusions we jump to without really thinking much about it. For example, we can see someone driving aggressively and decide that they are a “jerk.” But when we write out what we are thinking at that time, we are able to challenge our mental models. This post describes different ways you can challenge your thinking. But one of the best ways to know if you falling for the Dunning-Kruger effect is to have someone challenge your thinking with coaching.
Want to know if people give you feedback?
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