A Few More Details

Confirmation Bias

Our underlying tendency to seek out, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms what we already believe—while ignoring or discounting evidence that contradicts those beliefs. In other words: once our mind is made up, our brain starts filtering reality to match it.

Why It Happens

  • Our brains are constantly trying to reduce mental effort and maintain a coherent worldview.
  • We experience cognitive dissonance when confronted with conflicting information, and confirmation bias helps us avoid that discomfort.
  • We want to feel in control, consistent, and right—and so we unconsciously favor information that aligns with those feelings.

Why It Can Be Good

  • Increases confidence and decisiveness—especially useful in high-pressure environments.
  • Strengthens identity and values, reinforcing team or organizational culture.
  • Helps us quickly interpret ambiguous situations based on past experience.

Why It Can Be Bad

  • Blinds us to new or better information, especially when conditions have changed.
  • Leads to poor decisions, because we’re not seeing the full picture.
  • Can suppress innovation and dissent, especially in group settings.
  • Encourages “I knew it all along” thinking—making it harder to learn from mistakes.

How It Shows Up in Leaders

  • Favoring input from people who already agree with you.
  • Ignoring warning signs because they don’t fit the outcome you’ve already decided on.
  • Looking for data that supports your solution, not data that tests it.
  • Shutting down alternative perspectives, especially under time pressure.
  • Interpreting a successful outcome as proof your approach was right—even if it was luck.

How It Shows Up in Teams

  • Crews dismiss feedback that challenges how they’ve always done it.
  • They only report “acceptable” information that aligns with what they think leadership wants to hear.
  • They defend past decisions even when better options emerge.
  • They rely on past examples that support their view, but ignore cases that don’t.
  • They say things like: “We’ve always done it this way, and it works.” “That’s just one bad example—most of the time it’s fine.” “That doesn’t sound right, so I’m not even going to consider it.”