Cognitive bias comes with being human. Our complex brains file away vast amounts of information, some of it unconsciously. When we make choices in our workday, all of those thoughts and experiences bounce around, sometimes obscuring objectivity.

Biases help our species survive. In extreme cases, they cause us to react appropriately to escape danger. Paul Jun of Help Scout says, “…these biases are like mental shortcuts that help us to quickly navigate through a multitude of decisions. However, they don’t always lead us to the best, most intentional decisions—especially in the workplace.”

Much has been written analyzing the many forms cognitive bias can take. You may hear about unconscious bias, confirmation bias, self-serving bias, anchoring or the colorfully named gambler’s fallacy. It is important to be aware that bias takes many forms. However, you don’t need to dissect each possible type of bias to learn how to make clear, grounded decisions.

The following tips can apply to various forms of cognitive bias. Use them in combination to work smarter and achieve greater success.

 

1. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness simply refers to the practice of monitoring your mind. Slow down and watch your thoughts. Designate certain times of day when you will do nothing else. Call it meditation, or simply call it your self-check-in. Take two minutes or take an hour. Step back from your thoughts and just see what’s there. If a certain, nagging concern won’t leave you alone, ask yourself why. Try not to judge.

Then, take your mindfulness with you throughout the day. It may not come easily at first. But soon, you’ll catch yourself starting to follow your biases, for better or worse.

Says Jun, “Mindfulness helps us to be self-aware, thoughtful, and mentally present when we make decisions. If it requires a brief time to pause and think, then that’s time well spent.”

By becoming mindful, you will learn your own habits. In your eagerness to make a decision, do you decide silently, at the start of a conversation, rather than fully listening to the rest of it? Do you tend to shy away from ideas that seem too new or different? Or do you embrace whatever is newest and most different, without considering whether it’s the best choice?

 

2. Remind yourself that you are not your customer

Often, in business, you will be asked to view things from your customer’s viewpoint. Whether you’re the CEO, signing off on a new ad campaign, or a customer service representative answering the phone, you’ll need to shift perspective.

Even if you fit every demographic profile of your target customer–which you probably do not–you are not in the customer’s shoes. You bring intimate knowledge of your company and your industry that the general population lacks. You may think you can review your marketing materials objectively, but they are not created to target you. They are targeting the customer.

Hopefully, you have been collecting data on how your company performs. You have A/B tested your marketing materials and monitored the latest studies. Lean on quantifiable evidence about what speaks to the audience and what does not, rather than choosing what you find more attractive.

 

3. Surround yourself with diverse viewpoints

Surround yourself with the right people. Your staff, vendors, and advisers should represent diverse viewpoints. Try to include people who have been with your company for a long time along with fresh perspectives.

When you have your diverse team, brainstorm together and embrace dissenting views. Invite the “devil’s advocate” to the table. This practice will also support your mindfulness practice, as it may illuminate patterns of thinking you didn’t know you had. When you hear something to disagree with, pause. Consider the other person’s point of view and ask yourself whether bias might be affecting your response.

Encourage your team to also practice mindfulness and to pay attention to their own cognitive biases. Ask them to share their thought processes. You all stand to learn from each other.

 

4. Take your time

Slowing down to make careful decisions comes along with mindfulness; but it’s a small technique you can put into practice right away. Even when the clock is ticking and you need a decision quickly, you don’t need to let your lizard brain rule your thinking. If you only have time to take a walk around the block, or pour a fresh cup of coffee, or only to take three deep breaths before deciding… do that. Take full advantage of the time available to you, no matter how limited.

 

5. Don’t take TOO much time

Again, mindfulness will help you here. If you know you’re someone who changes his or her mind a thousand times before making a choice, set yourself a time limit. If you think about a problem long enough, you’ll almost always see multiple answers–which is good–but don’t fall so in love with each one that you can’t choose among them. Stick to the information you need, and stick to your deadline. If others are waiting on your decision so that they can move forward with their work, they will appreciate your punctuality.

You will never completely eliminate cognitive bias in the workplace. Trusting “your gut” sometimes works well. But, by learning to mitigate the effects of biases, you will cultivate a stronger, more productive workplace.

IMAGE: CC0 / Public Domain