Best Possible Outcome

CHAPTER 6LEADING WITH A CLEAR AND UNBIASED VIEW

It is easy for us to get sucked into a skewed view of the world. Limited exposure to our environment can impact on our ability for clear, unbiased thought. If unchecked, this shapes our actions and prevents us from reacting appropriately in some situations.

Leaders must remain aware of how their views can be shaped by their own perceptions, and that filtering facts through conscious or unconscious bias can lead to actions that are misaligned with reality.

In this chapter we explore how cognitive bias can shape our perspectives; how our perspectives in turn drive our actions; and how, as a leader, we must know ourselves if we are to make the right decisions.

Sitting in my command post with CNN and Al Jazeera news constantly rolling through atrocity after atrocity, it was easy to believe the world was a terrible place. There was truth in the assertion that Baghdad in 2006 was a terrible place, full of violence and death. But my perception was also being shaped by the information presented to me. It was further reinforced by the intelligence reports I read each day: of violent attacks within kilometres of where we lived — truck bombs, suicide attacks, kidnappings, beheadings, innocent lives taken in the blink of an eye.

In my mind, Baghdad was the worst place on Earth. The dull thud of bomb blasts and rocket strikes heard from across the city further underlined the horrific nature of the world.

But … one afternoon I left my headquarters ...