Avoid dangerous judgment errors

Identify and then make a plan to address your judgment errors
Write down areas in your professional life where you think cognitive biases are causing problems for your bottom line. Then create a plan on how to fix these issues.

Delay your reactions and decisions
When in a situation that arouses your emotions, give yourself time and space to cool down before responding. Count to 10 if the situation requires an immediate response before making a decision. If the situation isn’t urgent, take 20-30 minutes to calm down.

Consider alternative explanations and options
Look for alternative evidence that goes against your gut reaction.

Consider your past experiences
If you’re always showing up late for meetings, ask yourself why that is so instead of feeling stressed about it. Reflect on your past and figure out how you spend your time before each meeting. Do you prepare early enough for the meeting? If not, start to prepare for the meeting with 10 minutes to spare.

Think about the future and repeat scenarios
Let’s say you’re constantly in conflict with a business partner about their failure to help you whenever you need assistance. Ask yourself: What happened the last time I asked them to help me with a report by tomorrow? Did they carry out their commitment, or did they avoid me for a couple of days and then pretended that nothing happened? Does this pattern of behavior repeat itself as I get increasingly frustrated about their failure? Consider having a serious discussion about their behavior or simply stop asking them for help.

Get an external perspective of the situation
If you’re struggling to get your team to perform at a higher level, consult an external party that has experience in managing unmotivated teams. Talk to a business coach or consultant so that they can give you an outsider’s perspective of what you may be doing wrong.

Create an organizational policy that guides your future actions
If you have a habit of immediately responding to emails that make you angry, consider setting a policy that delays your response. Instead of typing out an angry response to a colleague or boss, commit to taking at least 30 minutes to calm down before responding to an emotionally-triggering email.