In 2008, I got my first healthcare data job! I had just spent the last 8 years as a contractor doing some cool stuff with data and getting a lot of great experience. I got lucky when a couple of folks at a local pediatric institution hired me to help develop and convert inpatient and pharmacy reports. I remember having a conversation with my direct supervisor regarding the complexities of health care data and I wasn’t worried. After all, data is data, right?
What I did not know then was that I was victim of the phenomenon called the “Dunning-Krueger Effect“. The Decision Lab web site has a great explanation of this phenomenon, but it can really be summarized into one sentence:
Cresting Mt. Stupid
The first part of the chart illustrates how a novice or someone who thinks they have knowledge perceives themselves. In my case, I had been working in analytics for eight years and I had developed analytics for the IRS, provided BI training at Canon and helped multiple organizations with their BI needs! I knew things….but I didn’t know that I didn’t know there was so much to learn!
I had confused my general experience with specific expertise. Meaning, I knew how to use the tools and I knew how turn data into information. I didn’t, however, know healthcare data. In many cases, getting to the peak of Mt. Stupid is a painless process…for you, but not those around you! What’s that old expression…”ignorance is bliss”, right?
The Valley of Despair
I had, eventually crested Mt. Stupid…and I didn’t know this at the time…but I was going to start the painful but necessary journey into the valley of despair! The valley of despair is a dark and lonely place…its humbling…its humiliating and when you realize how foolish one has been… its embarrassing, but it is important to go through this process. Imagine Luke Skywalker’s trip to Dagoba to find the “Jedi Master”….or Daniel with Mr. Myagi….once you accept you don’t know, the painful process of learning begins. At some point, however, the endless pain gives way to the productive pain, the stress of learning….after all…
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”-Aristotle
Slope of Enlightenment
The slope of enlightenment is the transition out of the valley and up the real mountain. As the chart shows, this is where we start to truly become experts…we begin to understand the limits of our understanding. This is where we begin to define our circle of competence. This is where things started to click
I was productive…I was effective…I was speed -KaCHOW!
14 years later, I’m still learning about healthcare analytics…. I’m still learning about new tools, and I am loving every minute of the climb towards (technical) enlightenment!
My story is not unique… in fact, it happens every day in all sorts of industries, but Dunning-Krueger goes with healthcare analytics like “peas and carrots” . In my work, I meet well meaning, honest folks who have over two decades of experience in their circle of competence, most of them recognize that our circles don’t over lap.
Often, however, there more folks who confuse familiarity with expertise—they are biased to believe they understand more on a subject than they really do. This cognitive bias creates a lot of friction and doesn’t benefit their organizations or their customers.
If you are suffering from another person’s climb, there are lots of smart folks out there with some good advice on overcoming this problem (here, here and here).
I’d like to hear from you….what was your “Mt. Stupid”? how did you get to the other side?