Mar 27 2006
Unskilled and Unaware of It
How many times have you worked with someone who has a higher opinion of their own competence than is justified–and thinks everyone around them is an idiot? Oh, about a million, right? You learn after a while that there is no point even talking to these people. Unfortunately, they are often your boss. Damn Interesting has a fascinating discussion of this irritating subject:
The more incompetent someone is in a particular area, the less qualified that person is to assess anyone’s skill in that space, including their own. When one fails to recognize that he or she has performed poorly, the individual is left assuming that they have performed well. As a result, the incompetent will tend to grossly overestimate their skills and abilities.
2 Responses to “Unskilled and Unaware of It”
I saw that you commented on my comment on Dooce’s site. YES, I have the greatest friends.
As far as this post goes…I worked in the IT department and there is a HUGE case of thinking they are the smartest people in the whole world.
It’s not that hard to fix a computer, the hard part is not letting it go to your head and then treating people all mean when they expect you to perform that same thing over and over.
I totally agree with your post!
Thanks, Kristine — love your site, btw. You’re in my bookmarks now. :o]