You're Right - Everyone (including you) IS Bad At Their Job
So, we’ve all had these thought, right?
Why am I surrounded by idiots?
I just want you to be ‘ok’ at your job.
How is it possible you were ever hired for this position?
Don’t lie, tell the truth. You know you have.
Well in the words of Professor Farnsworth, '‘Good news!’ you’re absolutely correct!
The only addendum, of course, is that this applies to you as well.
See the thing to remember here is the perspective with which you perceive the value you, and your coworkers provide. The lens through which you unconsciously bias your assessments.
Imposter Syndrome, Dunning Kruger Effect, and the Peter Principle
Let’s start out by getting some basic terminology on the table. You may have heard of one or all of these, but I want to have them in mind through the specific lens of framing the quality of work perceived against the axis of the perceivers relationship with the the person performing work.
Imposter Syndrome
Rather than rewrite what has been written hundreds of times before, here’s Psychology Today:
People who struggle with imposter syndrome believe that they are undeserving of their achievements. They feel that they aren’t as competent or intelligent as others might think—and that soon enough, people will discover the truth about them. Those with imposter syndrome are often well accomplished; they may hold high office or have numerous academic degrees. Why do they feel like frauds even though there is abundant evidence of their success? Instead of acknowledging their capabilities as well as their efforts, they often attribute their accomplishments to temporary causes, such as luck and momentary effort.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
Similarly, let’s get Psychology Today’s definition for the Dunning-Kruger Effect:
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 skills.
[…]
This tendency may occur because gaining a small amount of knowledge in an area about which one was previously ignorant can make them feel as though they’re suddenly virtual experts. Only after continuing to explore a topic do people often realize how extensive it is and how much they still have to master.
Peter Principle
Let’s keep it going with our source, Psychology Today on the Peter Principle:
The Peter Principle is the notion that people rise in organizations to their level of incompetency. When we give too much weight to seniority, we are in trouble. In today's competitive, mobile job market, seniority may actually be an indicator of poor ability (no other company would hire the person).
Got it? Now these are all mostly unofficial theories and terms, language that gets tossed around the proverbial water-cooler. Let’s move on to some more formal language.
Bias
Cognitive Bias
People talk about “cognitive bias” all the time, but let’s see what Psychology Today has to say about it:
A category of biases, known as cognitive biases, are repeated patterns of thinking that lead to inaccurate or unreasonable conclusions. […]
Cognitive biases may help people make quicker decisions, but those decisions aren’t always accurate. When assessing research—or even one's own thoughts and behaviors—it’s important to be aware of cognitive biases, and attempt to counter their effects whenever possible.
Illusory Superiority
Moving to our good old friend Wikipedia, there is this to find on Illusory Superiority:
[…] illusory superiority is a condition of cognitive bias wherein a person overestimates their own qualities and abilities, in relation to the same qualities and abilities of other people. Illusory superiority is one of many positive illusions, relating to the self, that are evident in the study of intelligence, the effective performance of tasks and tests, and the possession of desirable personal characteristics and personality traits.
So what do I do with all these labels?
The ability to identify your internal methods and processing is the single strongest defense against falling victim to unhealthy behavior.
In other words, learn to call out yourself when your cognitive biases are causing you to have uncharitable thoughts about the quality of work your colleagues provide. Also I’m going to be honest - this post was really just a thinly veiled excuse to get this sort of psychology out into the larger business world. Language is power, and the world is a better place with more people empowered to be more self-aware.
Improving Individuals & Teams Through RevOps
Revenue Operations (RevOps) is the practice of maximizing an organization's revenue potential and operational efficiency. Said another way, RevOps can help individuals and teams do their jobs better. How? By fixing revenue leaks caused by incomplete processes, mismatched data connections, and teams working at cross purposes. Alternative Partners has been in the RevOps space for years. If you're interested in how this framework can help you succeed and plan for growth, reach out and let's talk.