Many times we accept what we observe at first intake as the truth, fueling our confirmation bias and the narrative fallacy. Influencing our perceptions of reality. Impacting our judgments and actions.
Let’s say you see a man at the dog park who is surrounded by every dog there, with exciting wagging tails. Giving him their full attention. I would not call you crazy if you said he must be a dog whisperer, or maybe he is their dog walker, and they are happy to see them. All appropriate conclusions. There is no harm in having these thoughts. It is when we begin to accept our initial judgments and take action that the trouble begins.
See what we didn’t know is that the man works at a meat market. The dogs are attracted to him because of his scent. A possibility that most of us and including myself would rarely come up with.
Doesn’t this piece of information change the narrative?
This shortcut condition fools us time and time again. One place we are very gullible is in the selection of talent. We look at a resume and create a narrative. Then if we decide to interview the individuals, we look for information to support that narrative. By doing this, we essentially put blinders on ourselves. Instead, we should be open to possibilities we did not think of and be humble enough to understand that everyone follows a different path in life. It is not our place to judge but our place to understand. When hiring a team member it is the hiring manager’s responsibility to know if this individual can bring value to the team and if they can operate at their best in the given environment. Nothing more, nothing less.
Managing is a different story, but that is not what we are talking about here. Don’t be blinded by the scent when selecting talent. Keep an open mind and seek to understand.
