I love this observation by Adam Grant:
“Confirmation bias is twisting the facts to fit your beliefs. Critical thinking is bending your beliefs to fit the facts.
“Seeking the truth is not about validating the story in your head. It’s about rigorously vetting and accepting the story that matches the reality in the world.”
In an increasingly data-driven world, we have to be wary of our biases and blind spots more than ever. There’s always data we can cherrypick and an echo chamber to listen to that will reinforce whatever we already believe.
This is rampant in business and life. Social media is particularly susceptible to echo chamber group think. Some of the marketing “truisms” that get passed along as dogma gain traction because of these echo chambers.
Adam Grant expanded on confirmation bias in his 2021 book “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.” He suggested business norms to help dismantle echo chambers. One I liked in particular was to deliberately create a “challenge network” of voices that disagree with you.
As Adam put it:
“We learn more from people who challenge our thought process than those who affirm our conclusions. Strong leaders engage their critics and make themselves stronger. Weak leaders silence their critics and make themselves weaker.”
Here are a few related cartoons I’ve drawn over the years:
