Ever wish something was true so badly you started overlooking evidence to the contrary?
That’s Confirmation Bias.
It’s something we all experience.
Recently, my Continuous Improvement thinking prevented me from falling victim to my own confirmation bias.
Here’s what happened…
A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to be a guest on what appeared to be a legitimate NPR (National Public Radio)-affiliated podcast. The invitation referenced my book, my LinkedIn profile, my YouTube channel, my career background, and even demonstrated a clear understanding of my work and interests. It seemed like a perfect fit.
In other words, it was exactly the kind of opportunity I wanted to believe was real.
Then the data started arriving.
Over the following weeks, I noticed a growing number of inconsistencies:
• A Gmail address instead of an official organization domain
• Increasing pressure around donations
• Scheduling errors
• Time-zone inconsistencies
• Multiple donation payment methods
• A no-show interview with no follow-up afterward
Any of those observations by itself might have been explainable.
Together, however, they formed a pattern.
As Continuous Improvement practitioner, I teach:
✅ Look at the evidence
✅ Test your assumptions
✅ Separate facts from feelings
✅ Let data influence your decisions
The interesting part is that we usually apply these lessons to processes, projects, and operations.
This experience reminded me that we also need to apply them to ourselves.
The real lesson wasn’t whether the invitation was legitimate or not. The real lesson was recognizing how easily I could have convinced myself that it was.
That’s confirmation bias.
And no leader is immune to it.
Continuous Improvement isn’t just about improving operations.
It’s about improving decisions.