Search
Close this search box.
Blog » Business Tips » Don’t Let Confirmation Bias Derail Your Startup Plans

Don’t Let Confirmation Bias Derail Your Startup Plans

Platform Signup Friction

As humans, we all have biases. We’d like to think we’re all perfectly logical all the time, but the reality is that we have moments when we aren’t thinking clearly and we make faulty decisions. Cognitive biases cloud our thinking because we stick with what we think we know.

One of the cognitive biases that can derail your startup plans is confirmation bias. Before you let it take up too much of your headspace, here’s what you need to know.

What is Confirmation Bias?

This cognitive bias plays to your need to be right. Rather than looking at information with an open mind, you instead start from a place where you already know the answer. You purposely look for — and focus on — information that supports your bias. If something challenges your view, you disregard it, insisting that the new information is somehow wrong or faulty because you’ve cherry-picked a bunch of other “evidence.”

The problem with confirmation bias rests on the fact that you might be wrong. We can’t be right all the time. However, when you think you know the answer, and so only consider items that support you, it doesn’t leave you room to correct course. Your startup plans could be derailed because you don’t realize you’ve made a mistake.

We all know that failure is part of the process and that eventually, you’ll be wrong. However, you don’t want to make a bunch of mistakes because of confirmation bias. At some point, you’ll make too many mistakes because you haven’t learned from past problems. Getting beyond confirmation bias is vital if you want to learn from failure and move toward success.

How to Get Past Confirmation Bias

To keep your startup plans intact, you need to get past your confirmation bias. It’s not easy to move past it, but you can.

First, you need to acknowledge that you might not always be right. We like being right, and don’t like to admit we’re wrong. However, being wrong isn’t a weakness. We all make mistakes! Being wrong is only a weakness if we don’t admit when we’re wrong and learn from our failures. So start by knowing that you might be wrong.

Develop emotional intelligence. When you work on developing your emotional intelligence, you learn how to recognize when you’re letting your desire to be right cloud your judgment. Get to know yourself so you realize when confirmation bias is creeping in and threatening your startup plans.

Once you’ve done those things, you can then look at a situation with an open mind. Approach a problem with a desire to learn, rather than a desire to prove your point. Don’t assume you already know what needs to be done. Get used to asking others for their thoughts, and get used to consuming new information.

I like to look at things from a point of view different to mine on occasion — even when it has nothing to do with business. Getting in the habit of entertaining ideas at odds with your way of thinking and trying to see things from someone else’s point of view can help you understand that you might not have all the answers.

Once you get past confirmation bias and keep an open mind about your prospects, you’ll be in a better position to execute your startup plans and succeed.

About Due’s Editorial Process

We uphold a strict editorial policy that focuses on factual accuracy, relevance, and impartiality. Our content, created by leading finance and industry experts, is reviewed by a team of seasoned editors to ensure compliance with the highest standards in reporting and publishing.

TAGS
Credit Expert
I’m Miranda and I’m a freelance financial journalist and money expert. My specialties are investing, small business/entrepreneurship and personal finance. The journey to business success and financial freedom is best undertaken with fellow travelers.

About Due

Due makes it easier to retire on your terms. We give you a realistic view on exactly where you’re at financially so when you retire you know how much money you’ll get each month. Get started today.

Categories

Top Trending Posts

Due Fact-Checking Standards and Processes

To ensure we’re putting out the highest content standards, we sought out the help of certified financial experts and accredited individuals to verify our advice. We also rely on them for the most up to date information and data to make sure our in-depth research has the facts right, for today… Not yesterday. Our financial expert review board allows our readers to not only trust the information they are reading but to act on it as well. Most of our authors are CFP (Certified Financial Planners) or CRPC (Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor) certified and all have college degrees. Learn more about annuities, retirement advice and take the correct steps towards financial freedom and knowing exactly where you stand today. Learn everything about our top-notch financial expert reviews below… Learn More