As you develop your people management skills, understanding your hidden decision-making patterns is crucial! Every manager has cognitive biases - mental shortcuts that can help or hurt your judgment.
The key isn't eliminating biases (impossible) but recognizing when they might be influencing important decisions about your team members.
Engagement Message
Think of a recent decision about a team member—what influenced your choice?
Think of biases as your brain's autopilot. They help you make quick decisions with incomplete information, but sometimes they steer you wrong.
For people managers, these mental shortcuts can impact performance evaluations, task assignments, development opportunities, and conflict resolution in ways you never intended.
Engagement Message
Can you think of a time when your first impression of someone was completely wrong?
Let's start with confirmation bias - our tendency to seek information that confirms what we already believe.
Example: A new manager thinks introverted employees aren't leadership material. They notice when quiet team members don't speak up in meetings but ignore their strong written contributions and one-on-one insights.
Engagement Message
What assumption do you hold about what makes a good team member?
Next is the halo effect - when one positive trait makes us see everything about a person or situation as positive.
Example: A team member who's always punctual gets high ratings in all areas, even though their actual work quality varies. Their punctuality creates a "halo" that makes everything else look better.
Engagement Message
Have you ever rated someone highly in all areas because of one impressive trait?
Anchoring bias happens when the first piece of information we hear heavily influences all subsequent decisions.
Example: During performance reviews, if the first feedback you receive about someone is positive, you might rate them higher overall - even if later evidence suggests more balanced performance.
