People often treat prejudice as a minor flaw, but it can change whom we trust, which ideas we hear, and how we react under pressure. We may not even notice that an assumption has already shaped our decision.
The Oxford Dictionary defines prejudice as a “preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.” The definition does not say that assumptions can be positive as well as negative. We usually associate prejudice with a negative opinion, yet a favorable opinion without evidence can mislead us too.
Consider someone who promotes animal shelters. He has shared more than five Facebook posts about them and encourages people to donate money, food, and toys. You see the posts and assume he is nice and genuinely interested in helping shelters. What you do not know is that he has never donated a single penny. You formed a positive opinion without evidence, and it misled you.
Now consider someone who never posts about animal shelters. He does not mention them or encourage anyone to donate, so you assume he does not care. What you do not know is that he donates money to a shelter every week. This time, the unsupported opinion is negative, but the problem is the same.
Either assumption might turn out to be correct by accident, but luck does not turn it into evidence. If you start paying attention, you may be surprised by how often you make these judgments during an ordinary day.
Every day, on the way to work or school, you meet people and judge them by their appearance, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, political views, or a first impression. You place them into groups before you know much about them. Sometimes there is a reason based on experience, but often there is not.
Judging someone too quickly can cost you a conversation, a connection, or a friendship. The same applies to food, drinks, sports, restaurants, and other experiences. If you reject something because you assume you will not like it, you give up the chance to learn whether you were right. You will not enjoy everything, and you will not feel comfortable in every situation. Once you have a real reason for your decision, though, it is no longer an unsupported assumption.
Prejudice also appears at work. Colleagues and team members reject ideas before hearing them, respond to problems with ready-made opinions, or refuse suggestions because they dislike the person making them. A leader who allows this behavior misses useful ideas and prevents the team from learning.
A crisis forces us back to the questions themselves and requires from us either new or old answers, but in any case direct judgements. A crisis becomes a disaster only when we respond to it with preformed judgements, that is, with prejudices. Such attitude not only sharpens the crisis but makes us forfeit the experience of reality and the opportunity for reflection it provides. — Hannah Arendt
If team members pause before rejecting an idea, they may find that their first reaction was wrong. They may also discover an area they knew little about, become interested in it, and find that they are good at it.
If you lead a team, teach people to reconsider a situation before they accept or reject it. Ask what facts support the decision and where personal preference has taken over.
Brainstorming sessions need special care. A team member may suggest a solution that is wrong or even funny. Do not dismiss it immediately, and do not laugh. Discuss the idea and explain why it would not work. Otherwise, that person may become afraid of looking foolish and stop suggesting solutions.
Interviews create another risk. Candidates are often stressed or nervous, and that short meeting does not show everything they can do. Judge them on evidence relevant to the job, not their gender, race, voice, name, or other personal qualities. A shy or introverted candidate may have exactly the skills and experience your team needs. A talkative, funny, and friendly candidate may not.
Every leader also faces problems, stressful periods, and impossible deadlines. These are the moments when a quick assumption is most tempting. Slow down, look at the facts, consider the possible solutions, and consult your team before deciding.
You cannot stop every first impression from forming. You can notice it before it becomes a decision. I am not asking you to try everything you see or speak to everyone you meet. The next time you catch yourself judging without evidence, pause and ask what you know, what you are assuming, and what might change if you look again.
If you lead a team, make that pause part of how the team works. Ask for facts, hear people out, and separate personal preference from evidence. Fewer decisions will begin with a judgment nobody bothered to question.