[Neurons] 2018 Neurons #21 UNBIASED DECISION-MAKING

Sun May 13 20:58:57 EDT 2018

From: L. Michael Hall

2018 Neurons #21

May 14, 2018

Great Decisions Series #5

UNBIASED DECISION-MAKING

If you and I are gong to make great decisions, there's another requirement.
Namely, making decisions that are unbiased.  Yet in saying that we now have
a problem.  The problem is that we all are so primed and skilled in making
decisions that are highly biased in our favor.  We are biased to think and
decide for what we want, even if it is not reasonable, rational, or
ecological.  In fact, this is the problem with most decisions.  Whether you
are trying to decide something about yourself or for yourself, or you're
part of making decisions as a family, or a business division is trying to
make a decision - most decisions are highly biased.  And worse than that,
most of the time we're not even aware of it.

What makes our decisions so biased?  There are many factors-

           We solely use information that is available to us, that we
easily remember or have access to (availability bias).

           The ideas, understandings, and beliefs that already structure
our lives- we are biased to confirm what we already know (the confirmation
bias).

           The narrative or story of your life or group (the narrative
bias).

           The need to justify what you've already said or committed to
(self-justification bias).

           The desire to make things as simple and easy as possible (ease
bias; over-simplification bias).

           The desire to want to get the results that you want (the results
bias)

And on and on it goes.  There are a great many (scores and scores) of biases
that can intervene in your decision-making- biases that you may be
completely unaware of and yet biases actually controlling our choices and
preventing you from discerning differences that may be critical.  Given all
of these cognitive biases, how is it possible for you and me to make
unbiased decisions?

The How To - 

The first answer is to be sure to take the time to pause, step back,
reflect, and consider before deciding.  Taking a meta-moment to step back
gives you the ability to slow down the compulsion to make a decision simply
because you are caught up in an emotional state favoring a particular
decision.  While emotion does and should play a key role in making solid
decisions, you and I also need to avoid being railroaded into a decision
solely because of intense driving emotions.  Sure you want it-and that's a
good sign.  But upon reflection-is it really good for you?  What
consequences may result from it which you have not thought about?  Can you
really afford it?  How holistic is it when you consider family,
relationships, health, etc.?

For big decisions that mean major shifts or reorganizations in our lives- we
need a bigger meta-moment for reflection.  For this longer-term pause, you
may want to put the decision on hold for several days, a week, or even more
in order to more thoroughly think through the ins-and-outs of the decision.

A second answer is to be sure to gather high quality information as you are
getting ready to make a decision.  What information do you need?  What
information is available?  Do you know how to get it?  Who to ask?  How to
collect and arrange it so that you can use it in a highly resourceful way?
The problem here is the confirmation bias, again- you will be tempted to
gather information that is supportive of the decision you want to make.  We
all do this.  To resist that temptation, intentionally create a set of
questions such as the following:

           What information goes against my preference?  How thoroughly
have I welcomed, entertained, and considered that information?

           What information have I not considered?  

           What do I not know?  What do I not know that I don't know?  What
potential blind spots may I be operating from? 

           What am I assuming to be true or obvious?

This now brings up a third option in answering how to deal with your own
natural biases as you make decisions.  Get with someone who will play
devil's advocate with you- someone who will bring a strong healthy
skepticism to your decision-making process.  Find someone to talk it out
with and who will ask "hard" questions to test what you are saying and/or
who will help you sort out the pros and cons as well as identify the
criteria you're using as you are thinking about a decision.

Unbiased decision-making is rare and it will never be completely clean of
biases, but there are ways that you can work toward reducing your bias so
that you can more likely make a great decision.  To your highest valued
decisions and your best performance in decision-making!

Want more?  Check out the new book - Executive Thinking (2018).

Newest Book from Neuro-Semantics:

HOW TO UNLEASH YOUR THINKING BRAIN!  

Discover How to Use All of Your Thinking Potentials-in Executive Thinking,
the newest book from Neuro-Semantics, designed to enable you to discover and
claim your highest executive powers for thinking, understanding, deciding,
and acting.  We receive the shipment at the warehouse between May 15 and May
18 --- and will then mail out the book/s.

To order your copy - 

Go to www.neurosemantics.com <http://www.neurosemantics.com/>  - click on
"Products" and then "Neuro-Semantic Books."   $25 plus shipping.

http://www.neurosemantics.com/products/executive-thinking/

To order two copies, there is a special deal - 2 for $40 plus shipping.

              Go to http://www.neurosemantics.com/pay-a-statement/ 

                            $40 for 2 books, $7 for shipping within the USA
- $47.00

                                                        and $34 for shipping
outside of the USA. - $74.00

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director 

Neuro-Semantics 

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

               1 970-523-7877 

                    Dr. Hall's email:
<mailto:meta at acsol.net\hich\af31506\dbch\af31505\loch\f31506> meta at acsol.net

    ISNS new logo

Dr. L. Michael Hall writes a post on "Neurons" each Monday.  For a free
subscription, sign up on www.neurosemantics.com.   On that website you can
click on Meta-Coaching for detailed information and training schedule.   To
find a Meta-Coach see  <http://www.metacoachfoundation.org>
www.metacoachfoundation.org.   For Neuro-Semantic Publications --- clink
Products, there is also a catalog of books that you can download.   

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