How to escape the grip of cognitive biases that keep us stuck, then create a brighter future
Unseen biases can keep us in a job, a relationship, or a situation that no longer
truly works for us, but which we are very reluctant to let go of.
Recognising a bias is the first step to understanding our current reality and
moving towards a much better one. It allows us to admit to outgrowing a familiar
situation, and opens the door for personal growth and change.
What exactly is a cognitive bias?
According to Mind Tools:
‘Cognitive bias can be defined as a set of predictable mental errors
that arise from our limited ability to process information objectively.
It can result in illogical and irrational decisions, and it can cause
you to misjudge risks and threats.’
This implies that our decisions, including the choice to stay where we are and do
nothing, are not always based on logic or reasoning. They may not even be put into
coherent thoughts or strung into words. Better decisions are
made when we have everything out in the clear light of day – including the unseen
impulses that I’m calling bias.
So let’s dive into this more deeply.
Do you recognize any of these 3 biases?
1. Familiarity Bias
As its name suggests, this bias keeps us in a well-known space. If you find this
bias at play in your head, it’s worth checking the reality – is the familiar really
where you need to stay, or do you need to challenge yourself to something new?
Familiarity bias urges you to:
- maintain the status quo, in the belief that ‘better the devil you know’
- stay safely in your comfort zone
- negative self-talk might dial up fear of the unknown, not allowing you to
explore how the unknown could actually be much better for you
2. Commitment bias
This one amplifies the investment you have already made in term of money, time
or emotion. It assumes that walking away means you will have wasted your time:
- I’ve invested so much I can’t walk away
- the tendency to remain committed to a decision or action even though it may
not have favourable outcomes. This may be about not being able to recognize or
admit that things have changed
- It serves our inclination for consistency, not losing face, and the sunk cost
fallacy familiar in the world of economics
3. Regret Aversion Bias
This is about projecting potential regret into our future without assessing the
costs of staying where we are:
- projecting regret for what is lost – nostalgia and missing something or someone
- stems from a fear of doing or not doing something (commission/omission)
- priority is given to a potential future state – it is in fact unreal
- people tend to overestimate future regret
If you think one of these biases is actively clouding a healthy outlook
and the choices you can make, here are 5 ways to create something that suits the
person you are today.
How to choose something better
Do you sense you might be swayed by any of these biases? If you do, there’s a
great chance you can escape from its influence. Knowing this gives you the
possibility of creating a brighter future – one that’s based on what you really
need and want.
Here are 5 ways you can get a clearer view of the future you really want
1. Understand what you want and need in your life NOW
In the busyness of our lives we can easily get swept along on a tide of tasks and
deadlines. We forget to look up and ask:
Am I heading in the right direction - for me?
Taking time to think about what you need for a happy life and fulfilling work is
an easy way to start designing a future that you have consciously chosen. Try answering these questions:
What kind of balance would you like between work and play?
Who else will contribute to your happiness, what kind of people would you love to work with or clients you would enjoy providing a service for?
Where would you live and with whom?
How will you measure your success at work? For this one, you might find my Success Criteria worksheet helpful in understanding what really motivates and rewards you in your career.
2. Know your WHY – values, purpose, strengths
Business guru Simon Sinek urges us to ‘Start with Why’ when aiming for
business success.
I apply the same approach to career. Knowing what fulfills you at work is one
thing, but understanding at a deeper level WHY this is, provides a
north start to guide you towards the next more fulfilling chapter of your career.
In terms of career fulfillment you need to understand three things:
VALUES – what matters most to you in life
PURPOSE – what gives work and life meaning and makes it worthwhile for you
STRENGTHS – which strengths you want to use to solve interesting or
meaningful problems
We all have a unique career WHY – it’s the best-kept secret and unlocks an
exciting and fulfilling future.
3. Give yourself permission to experiment
It’s a misleading myth to believe we only have one shot at getting our careers
right!
For one thing, our needs change as we move through life. For another the world
shape shifts around us. Being able to reinvent our professional selves to meet
these changes give us all immense power and agility.
By adopting a design-thinking approach to our careers we can prototype options.
By entering our first career, with further training, by producing good results and
gaining valuable experience, we are already winning. But at some point it may no
longer work for us – what then?
Try saying ‘That was chapter 1 – my first career experiment. What will the
second one be? What do I need it to do for me this time?’
4. Step into your powerful self – dial down the fears, dial up hope and belief
Think of a time when you were at the top of your game – solutions came easily
and confidence flowed. This version of you is the one you need to embody to
design a more fulfilling future. Your powerful self can not only see the
possibilities of success but also feel them within her grasp! Visualize that version
of yourself, inhabit her, and you are ready to create.
When you make space for hope and believe in your capacity to make a better
work life for yourself, you will have the foundations to rise above the sabotaging
fears that accompany any type of change.
5. Bring your ideal into focus
What would your perfect work environment be? Imagine you have all the
conditions in place to succeed – now zoom in to that dream scenario and uncover
what you really need to thrive.
Think about the culture, the values, the beliefs, the atmosphere, the location, the
colleagues, the work, your clients… everything about your ideal work place!
What would an ideal work day look and feel like? When you know that, you will
have some important data to work with.
If you’re struggling to get started, think about what’s wrong or missing in your
current work – do you need the opposite? Do you need less of some things and
more of others? You are building your own criteria to evaluate options, and
that’s a great place to start.
..
So when you have recognized those invisible biases that are keeping you
somewhere that no longer meets your needs, you’ve also begun an exciting
journey towards something much brighter and more fulfilling.
But don’t think you have to go it alone.
If you need a comprehensive structure to understand all aspects of what
‘fulfilling’ looks like to you, and a supportive guide to help you make a well-
informed decision that is perfect for you at this point in your life, get in touch. I’d
love to meet you and help you find your true north!