Sunday, August 19, 2007

You're dumber than you think you are

I recently read that 90% of the working public believe that they are in the top 10% of best employees.

Which means about 80% of the population (or more!) think they're stellar overachievers but are wrong. Are you one of them? =)

At Pizza Hut.... I worked with a large number of very incompetent people and have little doubt I'd be in the top ten percent. My days at Intel.... Oh, I'm smart, but frankly, the job bored me and it probably affected my performance. I doubt very much I was one of the top 10% of their top employees. Fortunately, I'm pretty sure I wasn't in the bottom 10% either which is the place you really want to avoid. I have no qualms about being average. In fact, most people are. That's the definition of average, you know. ;o)

I like to think I do pretty well, but I'm not fooling myself. Deep down inside, I really am average.

4 comments:

six stars said...

Trust me, Ryan, You are not average!
six stars

W&MGrad said...

Average perhaps...but not ordinary!

But, I think that many people feel--correctly so--that they *could* be in the top 10% and, for whatever reason, are not. For example, I am quite good at my job but since I have absolutely nothing of value to do at work these days, I know I wouldn't be considered in the top 10%!

Ryan said...

I like that--average, but not ordinary. I might have to adopt that as a motto. =)

Eidolon said...

I tend to say "You're dumber than I think you are", is that the same point you were trying to make?!?