“. . .the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.”
– Kruger, Justin; Dunning, David
We don't know what we don't know.
In the last few years I've heard a lot about the Dunning-Krueger effect. Most often as a way to explain the behavior of someone expressing supreme confidence in a subject they don't know enough about. "Classic Dunning-Krueger," is the insult used to dismiss them and move on.
The interesting thing about Dunning-Krueger is it applies to all of us. We don't know what we don't know, and when we get exposed to an idea the first time, we're confident we understand it.
The learner's curve goes something like, "Wait, what's this?" then "Oh, I get it," then "Ooh, this is trickier than it looks," then as we learn more, "Ugh, this is way more than it seemed, I'll never get this," before emerging into conscious competence.
When you are enlightening your prospects about the benefits of your product or service they go through this same process. A quick flash of recognition followed by a sinking feeling as they learn there will be a period of ambiguity before results come in.
Don't get too confident when prospects get that flash of recognition in their eyes about the value you provide. Stick with them as they bottom out when they think through implementation. And remember we all have DK moments. Stay humble.
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