Workplace Dynamics

Okay, the title is clickbait, and I am ashamed of that. So, I’ll give you the bottom line up front: the Dunning-Kruger effect is (in my experience) spot-on, and even though it’s a bit of a pop psychology trope these days, I’ve encountered this effect countless times. There’s a fascinating interplay between Dunning-Kruger and imposter syndrome where these two psychological phenomena can work together in surprisingly complex ways.

Young people are often fed some variation of the belief that hard work will be rewarded; therefore, it’s good and virtuous to work hard. While I do agree with this sentiment, I think the same is also true of laziness. Unlike hard work, laziness is generally regarded as a negative attribute, but this is just a misunderstanding about what laziness truly is.

Most of us experience life through the lens of social expectations—the generally accepted norms and implicit guidelines about appropriate behavior in various contexts. These expectations create an interesting intersection between societal ideals and our lived experience. While many aspire to authentic self-expression, maintaining complete authenticity presents genuine challenges in a world that often incentivizes strategic self-presentation. Professional networking platforms exemplify this dynamic, creating environments where career advancement naturally encourages highlighting accomplishments and capabilities in ways that may sometimes diverge from more nuanced self-perception.