Why would I reinvent and rewrite what others have already produced? Below you find some of the many thoughts of Philip E. Tetlock as discussed in his book “Expert Political Judgment – How good is it? How can we know?” (2005, Princeton University Press)
Tetlock is a professor of leadership at the University of California, Berkeley who poses interesting questions such as:
- Do you accept ambiguity and contradiction as inevitable features of life?
- Do you update your beliefs in response to evidence?
- Do you realize it’s very human to engage in self-serving reasoning?
- Do you know when you’ve become a prisoner of your pre-conceptions?
- Do you focus on Who got what right or on Who changed their mind when they were wrong?
There is so much more to ask and there is so much more to say about our thinking but I’ll stick with the following: You are likely reluctant to acknowledge that you were wrong and you are probably reluctant to change your mind. Both can be very damaging, in the workplace and in your private life. Tetlock references laboratory experiments on belief perseverance (the tendency to cling to your initial belief even after receiving new information that contradicts or dis-confirms the basis of that belief) that show us that we use cognitive strategies to justify holding firm in order to diffuse threats to our (professional) self-esteem. Add to this our collective preference for simplicity and our aversion to ambiguity and dissonance and you can see how our thinking can become pretty messy and biased.
So my question to you is: What is it that you do to de-bias your thinking? It’s not just about what you think – what matters at least as much is how you think.
Try to listen to full story. Try to hold to facts and our weekly coordination meetings to hold subs to their word.
Hi Kibi, Thanks for your responses. Listening to someone’s full story can be challenging when their story doesn’t fit our story, needs, preferences etc. yet you’re right, it is necessary in order to connect and in order to learn from each other.
most times I am bias on what I think and what others say or think as well
Hello Edward, Thanks for your response. We are all biased in many different ways and we are too often ruled by ‘stories’ that we have about others and ourselves. These stories colour the lens by which we observe others, listen to them, and interpret them. Some example questions to counter this mechanism are ‘What may I be missing?’, ‘What is it that I may be over or underemphasizing’, and ‘What may I be dramatizing or over-personalizing.’
I try to remove myself from the work and step back so I can see the big picture. This works for me because it gives members of the crew the opportunity to excel and show independent thinking. I am always telling the members on our crew it’s great to bring up issues, but better if you can bring possible solutions.
Hi Robert, Thanks for your comment and what a great approach, to step back or get in your helicopter and look at things from a distance to see the bigger picture than just the immediate, or the personal. And thank you for NOT continuing the old “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions.” If possible, it’s of course always preferable to also get (suggested) solutions yet if someone doesn’t see a solution, you still want to be informed about the issue and assess it’s importance and urgency.
I listen/try to understand the others point of view, while trying to incorporate my actions in how we work together towards the same common goal.
Hello Martha, Thanks for your thoughts and yes, it should indeed be ‘try’ to understand the other person’s point of view. We may never fully understand it, yet visibly and clearly investing in ‘listening to understand instead of listening to be understood’ (quote from Stephen Covey sr.) by asking great questions that inform you about the other person’s thoughts, needs, and desires. We probably all know how un-useful so-called questions are that are only meant to emphasize your own perspective, prove yourself right, or some other self-serving purpose. They are not really questions of course, so thanks for highlighting the importance of ‘other’ while still also valuing your own thoughts and actions. Focusing on common interests and common goals are at the core.