eLeader March 2024
I was recently watching The Floor, a TV show on Fox. If you haven’t seen it, contestants attempt to take down other “experts” in trivia-style topics to grow their control of the floor. In the episode, a PhD student was controlling a majority of the floor and was on a winning streak by cautiously playing the game and only competing when challenged. In a sudden change of strategy from playing it safe, he instead chose to battle someone else in the topic of their expertise — musical instruments. Well, he ended up losing that challenge, his control of the floor, his lead in the game, and his chance to be on the show.
Have you ever seen someone who's confidently wrong? This is the Dunning-Kruger effect in action; it’s a cognitive bias where someone with limited competence in a particular domain overestimates their skills, knowledge, or abilities. The contestant on The Floor is a classic example of someone who’s confidence wasn’t malicious, just inaccurate.
Typically, the Dunning-Kruger effect paints a negative picture — we think of someone who is overly confident in this way as arrogant or a know-it-all, lacking self- and social awareness. But what if we flipped the script? What if this ignorance-fueled confidence had an upside?
Think about entrepreneurs starting a business. Nobody in their right mind would embark on this unforeseen roller coaster if they truly knew the challenges, sacrifices, pain, vulnerability, and general toll it would take. As 英伟达 's CEO, Jensen Huang, said in a recent interview, “…building Nvidia turned out to have been a million times harder than I expected it to be… I think that that’s the superpower of an entrepreneur. They don’t know how hard it is, and they only ask themselves how hard can it be? To this day, I trick my brain into thinking, how hard can it be?”
At that time, if we realized the pain and suffering, just how vulnerable you’re going to feel, and the challenges that you’re going to endure, the embarrassment and the shame, and the list of all the things that go wrong, I don’t think anybody would start a company. Nobody in their right mind would do it.” -Jensen Huang
Coming from the founder of the business that is pioneering accelerated computing, having a calculated naiveté can be crucial for success. This belief that ‘it’s not that hard’ fuels action. It might seem delusional, but sometimes ignorance breeds resilience and boldness that propels progress forward.
Without losing the level of emotional intelligence that is equally important for leaders, perhaps we can challenge conventional wisdom and lean on a heightened level of self-confidence to give us the courage to take risks we wouldn’t otherwise dare. Finding this balance may be the key to success.
In what areas of your life could you use more courage? Can overestimating our abilities actually push us to try new things, leading to personal development? How does this play a role in our ability to serve as a leader? What is the ideal “sweet spot” for confidence? Who can help you find this balance?
For leadership.
International Women’s Day ??
Join Chicago’s innovation hub 1871 on March 7 for a free informative and inspirational half-day event to celebrate International Women’s Day! Participate virtually or attend in person to hear insightful keynotes from top business leaders, learn through curated and practical workshops, build your network, and more!?
For entrepreneurship.
How to Start a Startup ??
领英推荐
Curated by Sam Altman - entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of OpenAI - this collection of videos and resources covers a range of important and foundational topics to help you start a startup (all for free!).
For innovation.
Futuring with the Revolutionary Forces of Virtual Natives ??
Leslie Shannon, Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting at Nokia, has made a career out of tracking tech innovations. On March 28, Leslie joins Institute for the Future to share her process for keeping up with the rapid rate of technological change in order to provide strategic foresight for her organization and the telecommunications industry at large. Join this free virtual event to hear Leslie’s journey to becoming a futurist at Nokia and how she pays attention to the signals and forces around her.
For culture.
The Small Giants ebook: Purpose, Values, and Vision ??
Purpose, core values, and vision are at the heart of every company. These become pillars that drive business strategy, align operations and decision making, and support team growth and company culture. Download this free ebook from the Small Giants Community to further explore the foundations of implementing your vision and integrate core values into daily business practices.
For personal growth.
Digital Marketing Certification Course ??
This free Digital Marketing Course offered by HubSpot will help you develop and advance your digital marketing expertise. From designing human-centered and inbound-first digital strategies to creating compelling content that attracts both users and search engines, you'll learn key skills to level up. Upon completion, you'll also earn a digital marketing certificate!