Everyone is Above Average
Category Management
The Washington Post has published the results of a survey asking participants to rate themselves on a range of behaviors and values.* Guess what? 90% of those 1,033 randomly selected individuals ranked themselves as above-average.
I see this as a management issue, for all sorts of topics. For instance, we need to encourage performance evaluations based on pre-defined, measurable goals. Hm, doesn't that just sound like a banal truism found in the dialogue of every episode of The Office or The IT Crowd. Let me look a little deeper.
Perhaps, trusting someone's self-evaluation isn't as accurate or reliable as most of us expect.
Of course, I know that I'm an exception (and you, too) because, I feel pretty comfortable placing myself in those ranges. Which is exactly why I need outside validation of my abilities.
If I tie this "averaging up" back into the recent discussions on job satisfaction, staff retention and educational resources--then I need to account for this self-distortion for myself as well as in others. For example, if I think that I am learning, is it true? If I pay for my employees to be trained, are they learning?
It's comfortable to assume that because I'm a bright person, I must be learning just fine. After all, I am managing to pay my mortgage every month. And, my staff are happy to accept training which comes without strings.
Should we be checking just how much learning is really happening? Do I need to be taking certification exams? Personally, and professionally, I think IT certification has a significant place in job retention. We are not at the stage, yet, where IT professionals are licensed, but I think that day is coming. From midwifery and veterinarians to engineers and CPAs, states serve to license professions and require on-going educational standards to ensure competency.
Or, I could be wrong. Maybe, we can get by on our good looks. After all, I know that we are all above-average.
Disclaimer: Richard Schwartz is hereby recognized for not needing any certifications, whatsoever. We talked about this matter at Lotusphere, and concluded that there is a point where certification ceases to provide any purpose. And, if he asks for it, as someone who manages an authorized Education Center for IBM Software, I will provide him with such said certificate.
*The entry is on page A2, February 8, 2006 but it is not provided for on-line access. The survey was conducted Nov. 4-8, 2005, by ICR Research of Media, Pa.
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The Washington Post has published the results of a survey asking participants to rate themselves on a range of behaviors and values.* Guess what? 90% of those 1,033 randomly selected individuals ranked themselves as above-average. I see this as a management issue, for all sorts of topics. For instance, we need to encourage performance evaluations based on pre-defined, measurable goals. Hm, doesn't that just sound like a banal truism found in the dialogue of every episode of The Office or The IT Crowd. Let me look a little deeper.
Perhaps, trusting someone's self-evaluation isn't as accurate or reliable as most of us expect.
- Honesty? 94% of the sampling contend that they are more trustworthy than average.
- Intelligence? 86% see themselves as smarter than most people.
- Appearance? 79% consider that they look better than half the population.
- Only in health are the numbers closest to reality. Only 69% accept that they are above normal. I guess it's harder to argue with the material world than it is with perceptions of value.
Of course, I know that I'm an exception (and you, too) because, I feel pretty comfortable placing myself in those ranges. Which is exactly why I need outside validation of my abilities.
If I tie this "averaging up" back into the recent discussions on job satisfaction, staff retention and educational resources--then I need to account for this self-distortion for myself as well as in others. For example, if I think that I am learning, is it true? If I pay for my employees to be trained, are they learning?
It's comfortable to assume that because I'm a bright person, I must be learning just fine. After all, I am managing to pay my mortgage every month. And, my staff are happy to accept training which comes without strings.
Should we be checking just how much learning is really happening? Do I need to be taking certification exams? Personally, and professionally, I think IT certification has a significant place in job retention. We are not at the stage, yet, where IT professionals are licensed, but I think that day is coming. From midwifery and veterinarians to engineers and CPAs, states serve to license professions and require on-going educational standards to ensure competency.
Or, I could be wrong. Maybe, we can get by on our good looks. After all, I know that we are all above-average.
Disclaimer: Richard Schwartz is hereby recognized for not needing any certifications, whatsoever. We talked about this matter at Lotusphere, and concluded that there is a point where certification ceases to provide any purpose. And, if he asks for it, as someone who manages an authorized Education Center for IBM Software, I will provide him with such said certificate.
*The entry is on page A2, February 8, 2006 but it is not provided for on-line access. The survey was conducted Nov. 4-8, 2005, by ICR Research of Media, Pa.
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Comments
Not only am I above average, I'm good-looking with a great sense of humor.
Thanks !
Posted by Jack Dausman At 04:14:05 AM On 03/28/2006 | - Website - |
You sound like you're above average to me. :)
Posted by wolske At 02:17:28 AM On 03/28/2006 | - Website - |
One thing I have always found interesting in the tech industry is that the people who are very good won't be the ones bragging about their skills and usually don't think they are as outstanding as everyone else thinks. The ones that always make me leary are the IT folks who say everything is easy and nothing is ever a problem. I also worry when I never hear an IT person say that it can't be done or that they don't know the answer to the question. Humility goes a long way when it comes to determing one's competence level.
Sean---
Posted by Sean Burgess At 12:03:59 AM On 02/11/2006 | - Website - |