Beyond Assumptions: Florencedivet Explores How Biases Undermine Leadership

In a recent LinkedIn post, Florencedivet explores a critical pitfall that can derail effective leadership: the danger of operating on assumptions rather than a full understanding of a situation. Florencedivet argues that leaders often fail not due to incompetence, but because they rely on incomplete narratives, leading to distorted truths about themselves and their teams.

Florencedivet opens by challenging the notion that leadership failures stem solely from a lack of skill, suggesting that unexamined assumptions are a more pervasive issue. The post highlights a poignant example shared by a client who believed he was personally failing as a leader due to team disengagement.

“A client once told me: ‘I’ve failed as a leader. My team is disengaged, and it’s my fault.’ Sounds noble, right? Except… it wasn’t the whole story.”

The author uses this anecdote to illustrate how a leader can internalize blame without considering external factors. Florencedivet reveals that the client had inherited a team exhausted by multiple restructures, faced unclear roles, and lacked proper onboarding himself. This context, absent from the client’s initial self-assessment, fundamentally reframed the situation.

The Peril of One-Sided Stories

Florencedivet emphasizes that these one-sided narratives lead to both over-ownership of blame and under-ownership of impact, ultimately distorting reality. This tendency extends beyond self-perception to how leaders view their team members.

As Florencedivet points out, leaders may label individuals as “difficult,” “self-absorbed,” or “lazy” based on limited interactions. These labels, Florencedivet warns, are often formed by turning “snapshots into stories” and treating them as established facts.

“We turn snapshots into stories. And act as if they’re facts.”

The post urges leaders to actively question their assumptions about others. Florencedivet suggests reframing initial judgments by considering underlying causes:

• Perhaps someone isn’t rude, but anxious.
• Perhaps they aren’t ignoring you, but overwhelmed.
• Perhaps they aren’t disengaged, but feel unsafe to speak up.

“Behaviour is a symptom,” Florencedivet writes. “Understanding the why behind it? That’s leadership.”

The Brain’s Shortcut: Unconscious Bias

Florencedivet explains that the human brain is wired for efficiency, seeking quick meaning and avoiding uncertainty. This natural inclination, known as unconscious bias, can lead to rapidly filling in the blanks with assumptions rather than facts.

“Because your brain is wired for shortcuts. It hates uncertainty. It wants quick meaning. So it fills in the blanks fast, not necessarily with facts.”

While unconscious bias is a fundamental brain feature, Florencedivet cautions that it can “hijack leadership” if left unchecked. The key to mitigating its impact, according to Florencedivet, lies in cultivating a conscious pause.

Cultivating Curiosity Over Assumption

The crux of effective leadership, as presented by Florencedivet, is found in the space between knowing and assuming. This deliberate pause allows for deeper understanding and more authentic connection.

“The pause between knowing and assuming is where real leadership lives.”

Florencedivet encourages leaders to adopt a practice of inquiry before judgment, posing critical questions:

1. What’s the context?
2. What’s their perspective?
3. What assumptions am I making?

By seeking the “middle ground” where truth and growth reside, leaders can move beyond superficial judgments to foster environments where team members feel understood and valued. Florencedivet concludes by inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences with one-sided stories and to share their insights, promoting a wider dialogue on mindful leadership.