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Dunning-Kruger — The art of overconfidence

Understanding overconfidence in engineering

Whether you design bridges, circuits, engines, or systems, there's one universal truth in engineering: sometimes, the less we know, the more confident we feel. Welcome to Mt. Stupid, the peak of overconfidence before the long climb toward real…

Communication Skills Practice Cooperative Problem-Solving Feedback / Difficult Conversations Journalling & Reflection Metacognition Training Psychological Safety
Duration 60–180 min
Group Size 3–12

Workshop

Description

Whether you design bridges, circuits, engines, or systems, there's one universal truth in engineering: sometimes, the less we know, the more confident we feel. Welcome to Mt. Stupid, the peak of overconfidence before the long climb toward real expertise.

This session is all about the Kruger-Dunning Effect, a psychological phenomenon where individuals with limited knowledge overestimate their competence, while those with deep expertise tend to doubt themselves.
(Sounds familiar?)

For engineers, this can impact decision-making, team dynamics, safety, and innovation.
Together, we’ll:

Explore how this bias shows up across engineering disciplines
Reflect on project mishaps that started with “this should be easy”
Discuss how to foster self-awareness and continuous learning in technical environments
Share practical tools to avoid falling into the overconfidence trap, and support others who might be stuck there

Benefits

Risk management, Enhanced decision-making, Leadership development, Error reduction

Additional Experience Info

Online workshop.

Hosted by Erika Albert

About the Host

Hi, I’m Erika Albert — engineer, leadership mentor, and clinical psychology student. My career began in engineering, where I spent nearly two decades in technical and leadership roles. Yet my lifelong fascination with the human mind eventually brought me back to academia to study psychology. Today, I combine these two worlds — using both technical expertise and psychological insight to help engineers grow not just as professionals, but as leaders. My mission is to bridge the gap between technical mastery and effective leadership in engineering.

Focus Areas

Development/Coaching

Location

Budapest, Boráros tér 7, 1095 Hungary

Languages

English, Hungarian, Romanian

Travel Locations

Lombardy and Piedmont, Italy (+300EUR/day)

Corporate Experience

Significant

Certifications & Credentials

Psychology BA
EMCC Senior Practitioner Mentor and Coach
Engineering: Eng., Dipl. Eng., Msc.

Session Types Offered

Interactive (eg. improv, group-art, yoga etc.)

Past Experience Doing Sessions

Yes - Performing

Client Requirements

Projector

Past Clients

Apple, Philip Morris, Samsung, Thyssenkrupp, Siemens, etc...

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