As I am finishing up the last part of the MHPC&TL I’m reflecting on the evolution of my coaching practice over the past three years since I began this journey. In many ways I feel that I know less now than I did in April of 2016 when I got accepted into the program. Which makes me think about this satirical graph pertaining the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

This graph, obviously, wasn’t in the study by Kruger & Dunning (1999). However, it seems to be a semi-accurate representation of my development as a coach. The only differences is that after the valley of despair the upward slope towards being more confident is slower. The more I feel that I know, the more I feel like there is so much to learn.

Kin 572 was a great example of this. I started this class right after I finished a summer at the statistician with the national team and I felt pretty good about my knowledge of statistics. Finishing that class I thought “I need to take that class again.” There is so much to learn in that topic area. I definitely need to take more stats classes and keep expanding on my knowledge of research methods.

I believe I’m a better and more competent coach than I was three years ago and I’ve had so many opportunities to develop. However, I am most certainly less confident that I’m using the right methods or teaching the right systems. That said, I’m more confident in my ability to learn and adapt.

I think the most important lesson of the UBC Masters of HPC&TL is that I am just starting on the journey and that I need to continue to search for opportunities to learn and develop as a coach.

So the problem of now being in the valley of despair is solved by looking for more opportunities to develop and being a life long learner.

Reference of original study:

Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121–1134. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.6.1121