Cognitive Bias in the Boardroom: Uncover What You're Overlooking
For business leaders, the enemy of progress is often not a lack of ideas, but an unseen adherence to old patterns.
Commonly, and often subconsciously, leaders will follow the tactics that have worked for them in the past, even when they have not been having the same effect for some time. With the ever-changing challenges and opportunities of the modern business landscape, it’s vital to regularly step back and view things with fresh eyes.
Extended periods of working together as a Board can lead to a loss of objectivity, even if your Board is comprised of the best talent from across the C-Suite mix. Board dynamics are a delicate balance and sometimes the best leadership teams on paper can continually miss the solutions that would propel the organisation to the next level. If the cogs are turning but not quite meshing, somewhere something is being overlooked.
It’s this kind of dynamic that can perpetuate cognitive bias, leading to tunnel vision that could:
1. Prevent you from overcoming what seem like insurmountable challenges and threats to your business.
2. Prevent you from identifying or fully exploiting the opportunities for growth that are all around you.
The most astute business leaders will constantly interrogate themselves, with questions like:
In what ways does my perception shape my reality?
Imagine the business landscape as a vast, intricate tapestry. From afar, the picture seems clear, but up close, the threads intertwine in complex patterns. This is where cognitive biases hide, in the details that escape the busy eye.
Quality leadership consulting understands that every thread counts, that a single unseen stitch could hold the key to the next big challenge or opportunity.
Because we understand that the fabric of every organisation is totally unique, at Moon, our approach to leadership consulting is deeply collaborative, immersing ourselves within your company's unique culture and helping you find solutions, rather than imposing external judgments. We partner closely with you, ensuring our guidance is as individual as your business itself.
More often than not, you already hold the key to the solution, our role is understanding your organisation in enough depth to design a bespoke programme that will bring it to light. Our tailored programs bring out new perspectives for addressing challenges and recognizing opportunities, working to future-proof your organisation by helping you think in new ways going forward.
Seasoned from decades of experience in Executive recruitment and consultancy, our experts are well-versed in the intricacies of Boardroom and C-suite dynamics. Through the years, we have developed deep, understanding relationships with much of our network, with many of them having been our candidates at one time or another. We try to build such a rapport with our new clients as quickly as possible, to break down any barriers and help us tease out the core of their organisational challenges as effectively as possible.
This more personal approach has helped us foster a relaxed space in which our clients feel comfortable, one that lends itself to opening up and digging deep into challenges and solutions.
Indeed, the trust within our network is what led us to evolve from an Executive recruitment practice to offer a full-fledged suite of leadership consulting services–our network began to ask us for support with a wider range of issues, asking that we bring a flavour of our approach and methodology into new areas of work. Our background in people strategy means that we take a person-centred philosophy into our consulting practice. Rather than trying to crowbar clients into a predetermined model of success, we hold up a new lens to the strengths you have at your disposal – finding your superpowers and making them work towards your goals.
From personalised leadership coaching to stakeholder engagement assessments, to comprehensive business strategy programmes, we’ve helped our clients navigate some of their biggest challenges and capitalise on their biggest opportunities.
All of our programmes are custom-designed, but you can learn more about the kinds of projects we undertake here, and read a selection of case studies here.
If you think you could benefit from a fresh approach to the challenges and opportunities facing your business, get in touch with Simon Quinn, Head of Moon’s Leadership Consulting division.
