Simply because we can’t see or hear something doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Often, in fact, it’s right in front of us.
More often than we admit we choose not to see or hear things. It starts as a young child and the habit only becomes more subtle and more discreetly executed as we get older.
Statistically speaking 49.999% of us are in the bottom half of our chosen field of expertise, be it sport, academics, leadership or even parenting!
The perception we typically create for ourselves, however, is that we are in the upper quadrant and, in some studies 90% of people believe they’re above average!
Known as Illusory Superiority this bias has some interesting outcomes – and not always as you might expect.[1]
Ola Svenson (1981) surveyed 161 students in Sweden and the United States, asking them to compare their driving skills and safety to other people. For driving skills, 93% of the U.S. sample and 69% of the Swedish sample put themselves in the top 50%.[2]
Interestingly there is also a tendency for people in the face of a challenging task to suffer from the “worse-than-average” effect.
What makes these two tendencies interesting in unison is that it suggests as managers we will often overrate our ability to deliver a message and underestimate the threat our staff experience in new and challenging tasks.
Rather than pat ourselves on the back for delivering a great message and then expressing great disappointment when our staff don’t execute as expected, we should ensure that we examine deeply where such ‘missions’ fail.
Is an irate manager the result of our own unreality (about their ability) rather than an intrinsic failing in those we manage?
How often as managers do we check in with staff on their comfort with what is being asked of them?
How often as managers do we reassure our staff of our belief in their capability to do challenging tasks?
Simply because there is no noise, no feedback, no protest, doesn’t mean it is not there.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_superiority has a great run down on it.
[2] Svenson, Ola (February 1981). “Are We All Less Risky and More Skillful Than Our Fellow Drivers?” (PDF). Acta Psychologica. 47 (2): 143–148. doi:10.1016/0001-6918(81)90005-6.
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