Last updated on Jul 27, 2024

Your strategic decisions are clouded by personal biases. How can you ensure objective decision-making?

When making strategic decisions, it's essential to recognize that personal biases can often cloud judgment. Whether you're steering a company, managing a team, or planning your career, the choices you make can significantly impact outcomes. However, biases are tricky; they're the silent saboteurs of objectivity. Think about the last major decision you faced. Were you leaning toward a particular option based on past experiences, even before weighing all the evidence? That's bias at play. Understanding and mitigating these biases is crucial for objective decision-making, ensuring your strategies are based on facts and balanced thinking rather than unexamined assumptions.

1 Recognize Bias

To combat bias in decision-making, start by acknowledging its presence. Personal biases are the filters through which you view the world, shaped by experiences, culture, and emotions. They can manifest as overconfidence in familiar areas or as undue skepticism towards the unfamiliar. Recognizing these tendencies requires honest self-reflection. Consider keeping a decision journal where you note down the thought process for each significant decision. Over time, patterns may emerge that highlight your instinctual leanings, providing a map of where your biases lie.

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Youness Ben Jelloun

☀️Je vous accompagne à structurer vos data, à les exploiter, 💻 automatiser et à restituer vos kpi✓📈SCRUM Master © Accredited Certification™| DATA Consulting#data,scraping,prévision#Planification#Reporting#Statistique
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j’ai remarqué que mes préjugés personnels, façonnés par mes expériences et ma culture, influençaient mes décisions. En discutant avec des collègues, nous avons décidé de tenir un journal de décision pour chaque décision importante, notant notre processus de réflexion. Au fil du temps, des modèles ont émergé, mettant en évidence nos penchants instinctifs. Cette autoréflexion honnête fournit une carte de nos préjugés, permettant de les reconnaître et de les atténuer dans nos prises de décision, améliorant ainsi l’objectivité et l’efficacité de notre travail.

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Milena Mardahay, RN, BSN, CGRN

American Society of Endoscopy Nurses & Associates (ASENA)-Founder ANA/C Advocacy Institute Fellow - AI in Nursing 2024-2025
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Seek opinions of those who disagree with you. get their perspective. challenge it, ask to be challenged in return . Get those argumentative types to debate the issue , sit and listen . Just listen. ask open questions. don't intimidate them. don't undermine them, don't limit them.

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2 Seek Perspectives

One effective way to minimize personal biases is to actively seek diverse perspectives. Engage with individuals who have different backgrounds, expertise, and viewpoints. This doesn't mean simply asking for opinions; it involves deeply listening and considering the rationale behind differing stances. When you surround yourself with a variety of thoughts and experiences, you're less likely to fall back on your default assumptions and more likely to approach decisions with a well-rounded understanding.

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Youness Ben Jelloun

☀️Je vous accompagne à structurer vos data, à les exploiter, 💻 automatiser et à restituer vos kpi✓📈SCRUM Master © Accredited Certification™| DATA Consulting#data,scraping,prévision#Planification#Reporting#Statistique
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j’ai engagé des discussions avec des collègues de différents antécédents et expertises. En écoutant profondément et en réfléchissant aux raisons sous-jacentes des différentes positions, nous avons enrichi notre compréhension. En discutant avec des collègues, nous avons constaté que cette diversité de pensées et d’expériences réduit la tendance à retomber dans nos hypothèses par défaut. Cela permet d’aborder les décisions avec une compréhension plus complète, améliorant ainsi l’objectivité et la qualité des décisions prises.

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3 Challenge Assumptions

Your assumptions are often the breeding ground for biases. To ensure objectivity, it's vital to challenge them rigorously. Ask yourself why you hold certain beliefs and whether they are supported by facts or merely anecdotal evidence. It's also helpful to play devil's advocate against your initial inclinations. By deliberately arguing against your own preferences, you can uncover blind spots and evaluate alternatives more fairly.

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Youness Ben Jelloun

☀️Je vous accompagne à structurer vos data, à les exploiter, 💻 automatiser et à restituer vos kpi✓📈SCRUM Master © Accredited Certification™| DATA Consulting#data,scraping,prévision#Planification#Reporting#Statistique
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Vos suppositions sont souvent le terreau des préjugés. Pour garantir l’objectivité, contestez-les rigoureusement. Par exemple, en réexaminant mes croyances, j’ai demandé si elles étaient étayées par des faits ou simplement des preuves anecdotiques. En discutant avec des collègues, nous avons joué l’avocat du diable contre nos inclinations initiales. Cet exercice a révélé des angles morts et nous a aidés à évaluer les alternatives plus équitablement. En argumentant délibérément contre vos propres préférences, vous découvrez des perspectives nouvelles et améliorez l’objectivité de vos décisions, ce qui renforce la qualité de vos analyses et stratégies.

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4 Data-Driven Decisions

Making decisions based on data rather than intuition can significantly reduce the influence of personal bias. Gather quantitative information and perform an analytical evaluation. This approach relies on measurable evidence, which is less susceptible to personal interpretation. However, be cautious of confirmation bias, where you might only seek data that supports your preconceived notions. Instead, look at the complete data set and be open to what it reveals, even if it challenges your initial hypothesis.

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5 Set Criteria

Establishing clear criteria for decision-making can help maintain objectivity. Before delving into the decision-making process, outline the specific metrics or goals that will define success. This framework should be based on strategic objectives and key performance indicators that are relevant to the decision at hand. By having these benchmarks in place, you can evaluate options against a consistent standard, reducing the likelihood of bias influencing the outcome.

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6 Review Outcomes

Finally, it's important to review the outcomes of your decisions. This retrospective analysis not only allows you to assess the effectiveness of your choices but also to identify any biases that may have played a role. Reflect on whether the decision led to the expected results and consider what you might do differently next time. This continuous learning loop is essential for honing your decision-making skills and reducing bias over time.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Your strategic decisions are clouded by personal biases. How can you ensure objective decision-making?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Recognize Bias

2 Seek Perspectives

3 Challenge Assumptions

4 Data-Driven Decisions

5 Set Criteria

6 Review Outcomes

7 Here’s what else to consider

Analytical Skills

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Your strategic decisions are clouded by personal biases. How can you ensure objective decision-making?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Recognize Bias

2 Seek Perspectives

3 Challenge Assumptions

4 Data-Driven Decisions

5 Set Criteria

6 Review Outcomes

7 Here’s what else to consider

Analytical Skills

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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