Is that an echo you're hearing?

Strategic leaders sharpen themselves with alternative perspectives.

THINK ON IT: Is that an echo you’re hearing? 

Neuroscientist Gregory Berns describes the brain as a "lazy piece of meat." That's because, in order to survive an overabundance of information, it tends to take short-cuts — most often without us even noticing.

This is particularly true about the information we pay attention to. We often look for data that confirms our preconceptions about how things work. We pay attention to the item in the report, for instance, that supports our suspicion and overlook evidence that may suggest otherwise. Psychologists refer to this, naturally, as the confirmation bias. We are predetermined to agree with what we already believe. 

It affects more than just the information we observe. When we seek advice about a challenge we have in our business, we naturally seek counsel from those who've been there, done that. It seems like a sensible approach, though we may not often consider just how much of their perspective is a rationalization for the decisions they took. 

Since we tend to form relationships with those who share our values and perspectives, relying on feedback from our own circle, similarly, can be nothing more than an echo chamber of our own ideas. 

Instead, try this: write down the assumptions you are making and ask yourself what it would look like if the opposite were true. Is there any evidence to support that contrary view?

“What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact." — Warren Buffet

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Premium subscribers: Read on for an echo chamber litmus test and an exercise to help you get out if you’re in one. 

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