Effective decision-making requires a relentless drive for understanding the truth on the ground. It’s about understanding your biases and actively working to negate them.
“In psychology there are at least two biases that drive this pattern. One is confirmation bias: seeing what we expect to see. The other is desirability bias: seeing what we want to see.” – Adam Grant
To combat these biases, ask yourself:
- If you were actively trying to disprove this belief, where would you look?
- What would a neutral observer see that you might be missing?
- Six months from now, what might you wish you’d paid attention to today?