Dunning-Kruger By Default
Photo by Kyle Head on Unsplash

Dunning-Kruger By Default

This week, my friend Dave Brock shared an article on LinkedIn called "10 Ways to Prove Your a Strategic Thinker." Dave expressed concern about the article in that it felt more about how to appear like a strategic thinker vs. actually develop the behaviors that enable true strategic thinking. I had to add some snarky comments, suggesting future articles Dave could share:

  • "How to Act Like You Care"
  • "How to Appear Creative"
  • "How to Listen Without Listening"

But joking aside, this is problematic. Between articles like these, ineffective uses of Generative AI, and the continued belief that everything has to be brief (no one has time for anything) I fear we are creating a society that largely exhibits the Dunning-Kruger effect ("a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities.") by default.

The facade matters more than the building. The surface matters more than the depths. Being short matters more than being thorough.

All of this advice, while possibly well intentioned, sets us up for failure and may contribute to folks who behave differently not being valued--even though the opposite is true.

We see this with buying. Organizations that are more thorough in their buying approach experience less issues and make decisions faster. They also are much less likely to express concerns with information overload.

We need to encourage deeper exploration. We need to develop people who can walk the walk, not just talk to the talk.

Yes, summarizing and netting things out is valuable--but only if you have the depth behind it to address questions and defend positions.

Winners will fight this trend as individuals and organizations, developing skills in research and questioning. It won't be easy as the onslaught of opportunity to take the easy path will continue to grow.

Let's leave "fake it 'til you make it" to actors and actresses.


The articles in this newsletter do not follow Gartner's standard editorial review. All comments or opinions expressed here are mine and do not represent the views of Gartner, Inc. or its management.

Hedi Ezzouaoui

HE10 - Transforming sales.

1 年

Excellent wake-up call to many B2B sellers that core capabilities prime on hypish buzword. Spot on Hank.

David Brock

Author "Sales Manager Survival Guide," CEO at Partners In EXCELLENCE, Ruthless Pragmatist

1 年

Hank, I was so skeptical about the advice in that article. Your take on it was hilarious and, unfortunately, right on target. We know, through research and insights you and others provide, there are no short cuts, but we and our customers have to do the work. Skills like critical thinking, collaborative conversations are critical to our shared success. The "appearance" of doing these things, without actually doing them produces nothing! Thanks for the great article!

Gordana Stok

Voice of the Customer Advisor ?? I help B2B tech companies capture their customers' voice to win more business and deliver lifetime value. 1,000+ interviews and 80+ research studies, and counting!

1 年

Fantastic post Hank Barnes. I agree that we need to support deeper exploration of topics to help buyers. It drives me insane when I hear marketers say, "People don't read. Keep it short." To which I reply, "Um, yes they read. Especially if there's a ton of money and their reputation at stake." I hear it all the time in my buyer interviews. Buyers complain that the information they get from sellers are too high-level and superficial, lacking details, data and evidence. I'll never forget one buyer saying that they downloaded sellers' whitepapers - not to learn something, but to see if the sellers' thoughts and recommendations were in line with their own. They were testing them. The key is to hook them with a solid overview / executive summary that gets to the heart of the topics they care about, so they say, "OK, you have my attention". And then providing the details buyers expect - details that will help them to complete different buying jobs, etc.. The secret to getting that right is having a deep understanding of your buyers. Sadly, many sellers also keep that information light.

David H. Deans

Principal Consultant - Digital Business Advisory

1 年

You said, "Winners will fight this trend as individuals and organizations, developing skills in research and questioning." I agree that Critical Thinking skills are important in B2B tech marketing and sales roles, and few managers can coach teams from this perspective.

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