How to recognize incompetence

For over 200 years, people have talked about intelligence as an important success factor - without really knowing what it is. The circular reasoning is that an intelligent person is one who does well on intelligence tests. But even intelligent people behave stupidly sometimes. Some researchers have therefore begun to take an interest in various "stupidity markers", signs that one is dealing with stupidity, or at least irrational and narcissistic thinking.

The most common source of error is probably being captivated by the confident candidate who exudes poise. We like to believe that charismatic people are also competent leaders. But it is not certain. Those who doubt it are welcome to watch the Netflix film "Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened". The documentary is about Billy McFarland, who promised to organize a luxury festival in the Bahamas for the super-rich. He is now sentenced to 6 years in prison for fraud.  Another documentary on HBO is about Elisabeth Holmes, who founded and was CEO of the blood analysis company Theranos. At its highest, the company was valued at around SEK 10 billion. But the technique didn't work. Now she has been sentenced to just over 11 years in prison for fraud.

The tragedy is that incompetent people don't realize how incompetent they are. In the scientific world, it is called the Dunning-Kruger effect. The theory is that stupid people overestimate their abilities and never doubt themselves. They seem to lack the ability to reflect on their decisions or opinions. Correspondingly, the competent often underestimates their knowledge and abilities, instead of being open to other people's opinions or decisions.

Often, interviewers overestimate outgoing and confident people. After all, it is much easier to interview someone who talks easily and casually, takes care of himself and gives the impression of having a high energy level. During the interview, you avoid that embarrassing silence. It's as if we think shy people are also weak, insecure and lack energy. But the typically extroverted person often chooses action before reflection and takes greater risks. They prefer quick decisions to hesitating and thinking carefully.

It is easy to underestimate the nervous and insecure candidate. But perhaps he is not used to job interviews, perhaps because he was appreciated as a loyal servant and was constantly promoted internally and never had to look for a job. On the other hand, those who have changed jobs have often been similarly trained in how to behave and therefore radiate greater security.

But how competent and suitable is the candidate for the job? A few simple questions can help understand the candidate's industry understanding. For example, in recruitment as marketing director for a billion-dollar company in waste management, one of the key questions we asked during the interview was whether the candidate knew what "bitumen" was. Those who did not know, or pretended to know, did not go further in the process.

A few simple questions related to the industry, company or competitors can reveal the worst liar. Or why not ask a question about a technical term - which does not exist. There are few who dare to say, "I don't know" or "I've never heard of it". You'd be surprised how many people pretend to know about things that don't exist. It indicates a certain cringe and lack of integrity, which is considered so important for success. As a manager, you must be able to trust your employees.

Sources:

The Economist. The grinch that sold charisma. August 30th. 2019.Alvesson, M., Grandiosity. The Psychologist. August 2018.

Cain, S.,Tyst. De introvertas betydelse i ett samhälle där alla hörs och syns.Natur&Kultur. 2016.

Cunning, D.,We are all confident idiots. Pacific Standard. October 27, 2014.