5 Biases to Avoid

After being an engineer for 10 years, I've noticed several biases that affect how people think. Here are the 5 that are most prevalent:

1. Man (or woman) with a hammer syndrome. This has to be the easiest to fall into. We get so accustomed to using one tool to solve problems that it becomes our only tool for solving problems. I've seen this the most when trying to communicate ideas to others.


2. Goggle Vision. My first boss pointed this one out and now I see it everywhere. We miss the forest for the trees, mainly because we focus on what we specialize in and neglect the interconnected nature of engineering.


3. Bandwagon. Going along with the crowd. Easy to happen. Harder to identify. We all do it without knowing. Sometimes you need a Devil's Advocate to challenge your thinking.


4. Anchoring. This one is strong. You get stuck on one idea and can't get off it. Similar to the Bandwagon effect, the way to mitigate this is to have someone challenge your thinking. This takes patience on their part and open-mindedness on yours.


5. Curse of Knowledge. Sometimes the simplest solution (or the one that works quickest) is the best.