Beware of Confirmation Bias

Yes, it's what you think it is

The problem with the internet is that, even if you are completely wrong, you can find other people who agree with you, and those people will confirm your views.

As leaders, many of our decisions impact other people. It’s important that we get things right as often as possible. Make sure that you don’t just look for and value information that agrees with you. Give yourself a reality check, like: “What will the consequences be if I am wrong?”

I’m not talking about opinions, like “the blue one looks better than the red one,” but real-life FACTS.

Imagine: you are having a meeting and you ask where we are on “Deliverable X.” One person on your team, Bob, says, “I need the analysis from Juanita before I can do my part. She hasn’t done it.” Your first response should be to check in with Juanita and see what the deal is. Did she drop the ball, or did she send the analysis to the Bob, but he didn’t check the shared project folder? Or is she on vacation and Elan is covering her work, and Bob didn’t check the attachment Elan sent because he was looking for one from Juanita? Or is Bob mad at Juanita for refusing to go out with him and is now trying to get her fired?

This is a situation that could have significant negative consequences if you, as the leader, mishandle it. If you only look for “evidence” that supports your assumption that Juanita didn’t do the job she was supposed to, you could make a very bad decision.

Make sure you don’t jump to conclusions—look for ways to get the facts, even if they may contradict your assumptions.

(Photo by Aryan Dhiman on Unsplash)