Video lesson
As humans, overconfidence is one of the biggest cognitive biases we face. So when you’re tackling a problem, be sure to bring a healthy dose of humility.
Reflection questions
- Has overconfidence gotten you in trouble in the past? What happened?
- Consider an obstacle you’re facing. What strengths do you have that will help you through it?
- What knowledge or skills are you missing and how can you fill those gaps?
Exercise: Assess your strengths and weaknesses
Use the chart below to help you assess your strengths and weaknesses.
- Start by listing the various skills and know-how that could be helpful in overcoming whatever obstacle you’re facing.
- In the next column, rank how important you think that skill or knowledge is for the particular problem you’re dealing with (on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being not all that important and 10 being super important).
- In the third column — and this is where the humility and honesty comes in — rank your level of expertise with each skill or knowledge you’ve identified.
- In the fourth column, calculate the difference between the two numbers. The bigger the number, the bigger the skill or knowledge gap.
- Focus on the bigger numbers and start thinking about practical ways to close the gap. That could be things like how-to videos on YouTube, taking night classes or asking a friend who is good at a particular skill to show you the ropes.
GOAL: _______________
Here’s an example with some of those details filled out.
GOAL: Successfully park all cars at the anniversary party without any damage or complaints.
Tools and tips from around the web
Benefits of Humility: 8 Ways Being Humble Improves Your Life
17 Reasons Humility Will Help You Get Ahead
11 Benefits of Humility in Leadership
Measuring Humility and Its Positive Effects
Overconfidence Bias – You Are Not As Smart As You Think
11 Ways to Practice Humility Throughout Your Life
The Power of Humility With 5 Practical Exercises
