Expectations change how the same experience feels.
More quotesEveryone in the meeting is an above-average communicator. Nobody understands the plan.
This is possible because “good” is a marvellous shape-shifter. The manager who talks constantly counts openness. The quiet one counts thoughtfulness. The driver doing 85 counts confidence; the driver blocking the overtaking lane counts caution. We choose a definition that makes our favourite evidence decisive, then congratulate ourselves on the result.
Businesses do the same vanity maths. Customer service is “excellent” because the team works hard, while customers wait four days. Forecasting is “usually accurate” because the memorable wins remain and the misses acquire explanations. Security training is for those reckless colleagues who click suspicious links—never, by extraordinary coincidence, the person completing the training.
Self-belief is useful fuel and dreadful instrumentation. If we want calibration, the measure must be chosen before the ego sees the score. Record forecasts and compare them with outcomes. Ask employees to explain the strategy instead of asking leaders whether they explained it. Put instructions in front of somebody who lacks the author’s private map. Measure resolution time, not the heroic emotional journey of the support department.
Spare us a festival of self-loathing. Replace “better than average”, which flatters and directs nothing, with evidence that can change behaviour. Confidence says I am clear. Calibration asks the other person what they heard. One makes a lovely LinkedIn bio; the other might improve the work.