Leadership Biases: Stop Letting Attribution Error Hold You Back

One of the first lessons a new manager learns is that people rarely do what you ask them to do. The second lesson is that the fault almost always lies with the manager. Ninety percent of poor behaviours tend to be a result of miscommunication.

Managers, especially newer managers, struggle to set clear expectations. They’re unpracticed in giving clear, actionable feedback. And they rarely give their team definitive priorities.

New managers can go through a quick checklist and look at four potential causes whenever someone fails to live up to their expectations:

• Direction — Did I clearly communicate my expectations?
• Competence — Did this person have the skill necessary to succeed?
• Opportunity — Did they have the time and resources necessary to succeed?
• Motivation — Were they motivated to do it?

Hanlan’s Razor states, “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” 

It’s a good maxim to remember when we start thinking someone’s a jerk for making our lives difficult. But it’s just as important to remember that simply because someone does something stupid, doesn’t mean that they are stupid.

Most workplaces are no stranger to incompetence. Yet they don’t hire incompetent people. And they don’t train people to be incompetent. Nevertheless, you don’t need to look hard to find examples of dumb choices and ill-advised actions.

• Have compassion for everyone you meet.
• Put yourself in their shoes. Think of a time that you were in a similar situation and recognize how external factors influenced your own behaviours.
• Instead of assuming, simply have a conversation and understand what’s really driving people’s behaviour.