We like to think that our decisions are rational and unbiased. Unfortunately, our decisions are not free from bias due to the enormous amount of information that we face at any given moment. Because of this, our brains must develop mental shortcuts (assumptions or rules of thumb) based on past knowledge to make decisions more quickly. Without these shortcuts, we would become paralyzed by the complexity of the information and decisions we face. Although necessary, sometimes these shortcuts result in judgmental errors. I’m going to share four biases that tend to impair our decision making most often, using the example of hiring a job candidate.
I hope that you can utilize this information to become more aware of your biases. We can’t make these biases completely go away, but we can acknowledge that we have them, and then slow down our decision making and check our assumptions. In doing so, hopefully we make better decisions.
“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are – or, as we are conditioned to see it.” – Dr. Stephen R. Covey
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” – Mark Twain
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