Picture the scene…
You’re in a meeting with your entire team and are speaking about a particular topic you have extensive knowledge of. Despite knowing very little about said topic, your manager keeps interrupting and interjecting, offering irrelevant insights and opinions that contradict what you’ve just said. And because they’re the boss, what they say goes.
Sound familiar? Welcome to the Dunning–Kruger effect, a cognitive bias that results in people with low ability or expertise demonstrating an overestimation of their ability and expertise.
While the Dunning–Kruger effect is often misunderstood and people presume it relates to people with low intelligence waxing lyrical about subjects they don’t fully understand.
But intelligence has nothing to do with it. Named after a study conducted by social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, participants were asked to complete a quiz and then estimate how they had performed. Some participants perceived themselves to be more skilled than they really were.
So, how can you resolve this kind of behaviour within the workplace, particularly if your boss is demonstrating Dunning–Kruger traits?
Feedback is essential
While asking for feedback might seem counterintuitive, seeking out feedback is one of the best ways of working with someone that has Dunning–Kruger tendencies.
By asking your manager to outline exactly what they expect from certain projects or roadmap goals and objectives, you’ll be able to clearly outline information and use data and examples to back up your work.
That way they (hopefully) won’t be able to veer off course or ignore the facts in front of them.
Upskill
Soft skills like communication and critical thinking are essential for career progression and advancement within your field. In fact, soft skill-intensive jobs are predicted to account for almost 60 per cent of all jobs by 2030 and separate data highlights teamwork and collaboration, communication and problem solving, and critical thinking as the three most important soft skills in the workplace.
If your employer offers in-house learning and development, make it your business to avail of courses that teach the soft skills listed above as this will help you in your current situation and will also future proof your career options long term.
Alternatively, look at online courses you can do outside of working hours. Coursera has over 100 online course options, some of which are free of charge, while Skillshare offers a membership that allows members to avail of expert-led courses.
However, if your manager’s behaviour and leadership style is becoming unbearable, it could be time to look for a new opportunity and if that is the case, The London Economic Job Board is the perfect place to start your search. It features thousands of roles in companies that are actively hiring, like the three below.
Group Product Manager – Vault, Checkout.com, London
As a Group Product Manager you will be responsible for helping manage a talented team and drive the strategy for secure storage and tokenization products. In this role, you’ll have the unique opportunity to drive innovation, add astronomical value to our merchants, and directly influence Checkout.com’s scalability and growth. You’ll take the reins in managing a team of accomplished product managers, with an extended scope encompassing multiple engineering teams and will design and deliver the overall Vault team strategy and the associated product delivery roadmap. Get more information here.
Business Partnering & Financial Planning Manager, Liberty Global, London
Nexfibre is a new £4.5 billion joint venture between Infravia Capital Partners, Liberty Global and Telefónica. As such, Liberty Global is hiring a Business Partnering & Financial Planning Manager to create and manage a range of projects across all aspects of the business from network build plan, to the commercialisation of the network through wholesale and B2B. This role will support the assessment of the competitive landscape and will be a key member of the team analysing the impact of inorganic M&A opportunities. In this role you will also provide financial input and co-ordinate the formulation of robust annual budget and forecasts, monitoring progress towards their achievement, as well as updates to the multi-year business plan. See the full job description here.
Customer Service Representative, Metro Bank PLC, London
The Customer Service Representative is required to meet and greet customers, providing exceptional customer service at all times. You’ll manage cashier transactions, supporting customers with daily banking, including cash, card, and cheque handling, identify and address customers’ needs and advise them on products and services accordingly, open and manage personal and business accounts, provide loan and credit card facilities and take full ownership of customers’ queries through to resolution. View additional details here.
Explore The London Economic Job Board to find your next role