If you’ve ever sat in a corporate meeting, then you’ve probably heard at least once “This should be easy”, while you silently count to 10 and try to disable subtitles from your face expressions.

Congratulations — you’ve just met the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

It’s an interesting thing…the little gem of human psychology.

It basically tells us why people who know the least often feel the most confident, while those with real experience tend to doubt themselves.

In project management, this bias shows up everywhere: from overenthusiastic newbies to executives who think timelines are optional.

Let’s crack it down, shall we?

The Newbie Project Manager: “How Hard Can It Be?”

Early in their careers, many PMs are rays of sunshine and full of optimism.
And honestly? It’s kind of sweet.

They walk into kickoffs like motivational speakers, genuinely believing they can deliver that complex, cross-functional project in three weeks — because why not?

You can spot this stage when someone says things like:

• “We don’t need a detailed plan. Let’s just go ahead and get started!”
• “Scope creep? Nah, the client knows exactly what they want.”
• “Risk log? We’ll figure it out as we go.”

At first, this confidence is contagious. The team feels pumped. Progress seems fast.

But slowly, the cracks start showing. Milestones slip. Stakeholders change their minds. And that “simple” project starts to resemble a train wreck.

The Valley of Despair: When Reality Smacks You in the Gantt Chart

Eventually, reality hits — hard. The project is behind schedule, tasks are piling up like unfolded laundry, and the once-confident PM is stress-eating chocolate at their desk.

This is what we call the Valley of Despair — the point where they realize how much they didn’t know.

You know someone’s in the Valley when:

• They say, “We might need to push the deadline… just a little bit.”
• Their calendar is 70% “urgent” meetings.
• They develop a nervous twitch every time someone says, “Quick question.” Or “Hey, got a minute?”

The good news? This stage is temporary.

The bad news? It’s brutal. But once a PM survives it, they rise stronger, more cautious, and with a newfound appreciation for planning.

The Executive Dunning–Kruger Effect: “Just Add More Resources!”

Here’s something shocking — Dunning–Kruger doesn’t just hit junior PMs. It sneaks into leadership, too.

And nothing makes a project manager sweat like an executive confidently misunderstanding how projects actually work.

Classic examples include:

• “Can’t we just add more people to finish faster?” (As if 9 women can deliver a baby in one month — shocker, right?)
• “Let’s skip the discovery phase and get straight to delivery.” (Terrible idea.)
• “Why do we need retrospectives? The project’s done.” (Deep breath.)

Managing this requires serious people skills. You can’t exactly tell your boss they’re wrong (unless you enjoy job hunting).

Instead, successful PMs learn to guide leaders gently — presenting data, framing issues as learning opportunities, and using storytelling to bridge knowledge gaps.

Climbing the Slope of Enlightenment: Learning, Humility, and Survival

The best project managers aren’t the ones who know it all.
They’re the ones who know they don’t know it all — and are okay with that. They ask questions, seek feedback, and understand that every project is a chance to learn.

How to avoid getting stuck in the Dunning–Kruger trap:

• Be curious. Ask questions, even if they seem basic.
• Lean on your team. You don’t have to know everything — that’s why you have experts.
• Reflect often. After every project, ask: What went well? What didn’t? What can we do better?

The truth is, project management is messy. Even the most experienced PMs stumble. The difference is, they get back up, adjust, and keep moving.

So the next time someone says, “This should be easy,” just smile. They’ll learn — eventually.

🔥For more insights and tips about project management minus the fluff, check out my previous articles and drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Same Team, different Planets: Surviving Cultural Chaos in Remote work

What the heck is the Dunning-Kruger Effect? was originally published in Leadership Land on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Want to turn your project team into a demoralized, disengaged mess? Looking to ensure every stand-up meeting feels like a hostage situation? Well, congratulations! You’ve come to the right place. Building trust takes time and effort, but destroying it? Now, that’s a skill you can master quickly with just a few poor management choices.

If that’s your goal (or, more likely, you want to avoid these pitfalls), here’s your step-by-step guide to leadership disaster.

1. Micromanage Like It’s an Olympic Sport

Why delegate when you can breathe down your team’s necks and question their every move? Ask for constant updates, second-guess their decisions, and remind them that you know best — despite never having written a line of code.

Trust me, nothing says “I believe in you” like rewriting their work because you felt it could be better.

2. Promise the Impossible, Then Act Surprised

“We can totally deliver this feature in two weeks!” — famous last words of every overzealous project manager.

Overcommitting to stakeholders and then leaving your team to scramble is a great way to watch morale plummet.
Bonus points if you pretend to be shocked when they say it’s impossible.

3. Ignore the Experts — You’ve Got Google

Your engineers might have years of experience in software development, but let’s be honest — Google taught you everything you need to know.
So go ahead, override their suggestions and enforce terrible technical decisions.

Nothing builds morale like watching a non-technical PM dictate architecture choices.

4. Take All the Credit, Share None of the Blame

Project went well? Great leadership. Project failed? The team really dropped the ball on this one.
Nothing breaks trust faster than making sure successes are yours and failures are theirs. After all, accountability is only for other people.

5. Burn Them Out (Who Needs Sleep Anyway?)

The best way to motivate your team is to completely ignore their workload and keep adding more, right? Don’t worry about resources or burnout — just remind them how critical everything is.

And when they inevitably struggle? Just tell them to “work smarter.”

6. Change Priorities Like You Change Socks

There’s nothing more exciting than unpredictability! Tell your team one thing on Monday, change your mind by Wednesday, and then act like it was always the plan by Friday.
Confusion is just another word for agility, after all.

7. Ignore Career Growth — Who Needs It?

Your team might be looking for mentorship, training, or a path forward, but let’s be real — if they were truly ambitious, they’d figure it out on their own.

Why waste time helping them grow when they should be focused on this never-ending backlog?

8. Withhold Information Like a True Puppet Master

Want to make sure your team feels disconnected and undervalued? Keep them in the dark.
Let them find out about project changes at the last minute and avoid transparency at all costs.
Nothing says “trust” like making them guess what’s going on.

9. Allow Toxicity to Thrive

Is someone making life miserable for their teammates? Ignore it! Let them run unchecked while the rest of the team tiptoes around them.

If people don’t feel comfortable speaking up, they’ll spend less time worrying about trust and more time planning their exit.

10. Be Unavailable — Except When It’s Too Late

Disappear when your team actually needs you, but suddenly become very involved when things go wrong. Let them make decisions, then override them at the last second.
A little chaos keeps things interesting, right?

Final Thoughts: Trust is Optional (But Actually, It’s Not)

If you follow these steps, you’ll soon find yourself leading a demotivated, cynical, and perpetually exhausted team. Congratulations! But if you’d rather build trust (and, you know, not make your developers fantasize about quitting daily), maybe try doing the exact opposite. Read my previous stories for more tips and tricks.

How many of these “brilliant” leadership strategies have you experienced? Drop your horror stories in the comments — I promise to be shocked.

How to lose your team’s trust in 10 easy steps — a Project Manager’s guide to Chaos was originally published in Leadership Land on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.