{"id":12940,"date":"2021-03-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/underestimate-me-again-i-dare-you\/"},"modified":"2021-03-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T00:00:00","slug":"underestimate-me-again-i-dare-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/2021\/underestimate-me-again-i-dare-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Underestimate me again – I dare you"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I hate it when people tell me that I can\u2019t do something. I\u2019m not talking about things like \u201cyou can\u2019t drive over the speed limit\u201d or \u201cdon\u2019t wear white after Labor Day.\u201d No, I\u2019m talking about the limits someone tries to put on me due to their underestimation of my abilities. I hate hearing it because it can make me question my own abilities. That, in turn, usually leads to anger and a need to prove myself, demonstrating how wrong they are! It\u2019s a cognitive bias that trips up so many people, and it can be devastating at the negotiating table.<\/p>\n

Cognitive biases are ingrained in the way we interpret and process information. They\u2019re often described as systemic errors in our thought process that affect the decisions and judgements we make. They occur because our brain is constantly looking for ways to simplify the information it needs to process in order to help us interpret the world around us and to speed up decision-making. As such, we become susceptible to these biases.<\/p>\n

Biases can distort reality. They can impact our critical thinking, making it difficult to gather or exchange accurate information. They can lead us to avoid uncomfortable truths that we need to learn or prevent us from investigating root causes. They can lead to poor decision-making, distorted thinking, and even belief in conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n

Overconfidence is one of the most common cognitive biases that can impact our judgement. In fact, in his 2011 book,\u00a0Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em>, Daniel Kahneman called overconfidence \u201cthe most significant of the cognitive biases.\u201d It\u2019s this bias that leads to underestimating the opposition.<\/p>\n

At the negotiating table, underestimating the other side can lead to disastrous results, some of which may include:<\/p>\n