MARCH 2018 • FOGHORN 33 BUSINESSMATTERS EASY MANEUVERABILITY Give your passengers a smooth ride with reliable John Deere PowerTech™ propulsion and generator drive engines. With high torque and low-rated rpm, they deliver excellent vessel control and quiet operation. For easy navigation on the water — Nothing Runs Like A Deere™. JohnDeere.com/marine 60 to 559 kW (80 to 750 hp) the daily news we receive is shaped by our political views. We see every day how new information in politics is interpreted in opposite ways, driving us even further apart. Wars frequently start when both sides spin information faster and faster with bias. How to defeat this natural human tendency? Begin by understanding this phe- nomenon, discussing it and examples with your team. Try, at all costs, to avoid herd mentality. It is said that you take on the traits of the five people you spend the most time with (that should really make you take another look at the folks around you!). You don’t want everyone evaluating everything the same way. My leadership team of 22 once took the Myers Briggs test and we found out that 18 of us were TJs, a charac- teristic that was helpful in leadership and management, while only four of us were not. A very insightful conver- sation ensued, with those four feeling endangered and the rest of us acutely feeling the outliers’ importance as they represented vital different views. Be able to logically assess, and artic- ulate, the opposite side of an argument. Ask questions that support theories other than your own. Have your team advocate all angles of a problem. People who are confident, more readily seek out contradictory in- formation to their position. Build a strong culture of candor and openness, one that tolerates dissent. Be able to disagree without being disagreeable. Early information is strongly weighted in your memory bank, and tends to overwhelm new data. While first impressions are important, many times in life we need to take a deep breath and let things play out. Diversity on your team can overcome this natural bias. In my life I have seen so many wonderful changes, from the desegregated South to woman carrier pilots, gay weddings, and students representing over 100 countries in my old high school. I jokingly tell my daughters that we white guys had a good 5,000-year run. It is time to realize that diversity will get you the best talent, and help you make better decisions to chart your future. So, confront confirmation bias head-on and build a diverse corporate culture to avoid my mistakes and maximize your company’s potential. n About the Author Bob Shaw is a veteran industry executive, having led over 100 vessels responsible for over 10 million passengers a year. He can be reached at shawrw@ gmail.com.