Don't be a Bonsai Leader

A Bonsai is a beautiful, dwarfed tree, celebrated as the ultimate art of miniaturisation. This analogy also fits leaders who start out with the potential to grow into mighty banyan trees but, somewhere along their journey, stop growing and even begin to shrink. These leaders, while perhaps still beautiful in their own right, become unfulfilled, dwarfed versions of their potential selves. And no, this doesn’t happen to unsuccessful managers—this Bonsai Leader syndrome can befall even the brightest and most successful.

But what exactly is this syndrome? It’s when a leader stops growing, and after a period of stagnation, actually starts shrinking, losing or weakening the very skills that made them successful in the first place.

So how does the Bonsai Leader syndrome take root?

It starts with some powerful heuristic biases that a leader can't shake off. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that help us make quick decisions and reduce our mental workload. But they aren't always perfect, and using them inappropriately can lead to cognitive biases. Here are some of the most dangerous ones:

Overconfidence Bias: The Ego Booster The Ego Booster is that part of the mind that’s a tad too sure of one's own abilities and knowledge. This bias can lead to unnecessary risks and decisions made without sufficient planning. If a leader is always confident they’re the best at making strategic choices without understanding the latest market trends, the Ego Booster is likely at work. Overconfidence can cause significant business and financial losses, damage relationships, and lead to career setbacks.

Self-Reflect: Have you ever made a decision at work that you later realized was overly optimistic? What were the consequences?

Confirmation Bias: The Echo Chamber The Echo Chamber bias loves to confirm preexisting beliefs. It’s the part of the brain that seeks out information validating what one already thinks. For instance, if someone believes that eating chocolate makes them smarter, they'll find articles supporting this delicious theory, ignoring studies that say otherwise. The Echo Chamber is cozy but blinding, resulting in poor decision-making due to constantly ignoring contradictory information.

Self-Reflect: How do you handle dissenting opinions in your team or organization?

Overreaction Bias: The Hyperactive The Hyperactive bias builds on the foundation of overconfidence. This bias ensures that a leader tends to overreact to bad news and react slowly to good news, with a massive overemphasis on the short term. This makes them a busy bee, reacting and over-reacting to anything thrown their way. The team remembers them as a cat on a hot tin roof.

Self-Reflect: Recall a time when you overreacted to bad news. What triggered your reaction, and how did it affect your decision-making?

Sunk Cost Fallacy: The Stubborn Investor The Stubborn Investor hates letting go of investments, even bad ones. They might continue watching a terrible movie because they’re already an hour in. The Stubborn Investor doesn’t know when to quit, leading to wasted resources. This bias causes people to stick with failing projects or relationships, wasting significant time, money, and emotional energy.

Self-Reflect: Can you identify a project or investment you stuck with longer than you should have? Why was it hard to let go?

Self-Serving Bias: The Blame Shifter The Blame Shifter takes credit for successes and blames external factors for failures. If a leader aces a presentation, it’s because they’re brilliant. If they fail, it’s because the projector broke. The Blame Shifter prevents personal growth and damages teamwork, leading to conflicts and a toxic work environment.

Self-Reflect: How can you create a more balanced view of your performance and that of your team?

Availability Heuristic: The Spotlight Effect The Spotlight Effect makes the most recent or memorable events seem more important than they are. If a leader recently saw a team member have an emotional outburst, they might think it’s a common occurrence and mistake it for a behavioral pattern. The Spotlight Effect shines brightly but often misleads, distorting risk assessments and leading to irrational fears or decisions.

Self-Reflect: Think of a recent event that influenced your decisions disproportionately. How could you have assessed the situation more objectively?

Status Quo Bias: The Comfort Zone Guardian The Comfort Zone Guardian resists change, preferring the current state of affairs. If a leader hesitates to switch to new software even if it’s better, the Comfort Zone Guardian is whispering in their ear. This bias leads to missed opportunities and stagnation.

Self-Reflect: Identify an area in your work or life where you prefer the status quo despite knowing change could be beneficial. What holds you back?

So, how can these biases be mitigated?

Well, the simplest (based on logic) but hardest in execution approach is to simply be aware of these not-so-good friends in your brain—that’s half the job done. The second thing is to reduce this lazy, fast thinking and train yourself to think slow and long (cheers to Daniel Kahneman). Here’s a hack sheet that might help:

• Seek Diverse Perspectives: Actively look for information and viewpoints that challenge your own.
• Slow Down Decision-Making: Take your time to gather information and reflect before making decisions.
• Use Data and Evidence: Rely on objective data and evidence rather than gut feelings.
• Develop Awareness: Regularly reflect on your thought processes and decision-making patterns to identify potential biases.
• Encourage Dissent: Create environments where questioning and dissenting opinions are valued.
• Set Clear Criteria: Establish clear criteria for decisions to minimize the influence of biases.
• Learn Continuously: Stay informed about cognitive biases and learn strategies to mitigate them.

By understanding and actively managing these heuristic biases, you can enhance your personal effectiveness, make better decisions, and achieve more balanced and rational outcomes in both personal and professional life. Next time your brain tries to pull a fast one on you, call out that bias and take control. Happy decision-making!

As a wise person once said, "The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday's logic."

Further Reading

For those interested in delving deeper into the topics of cognitive biases and effective leadership, here are some suggestions:

1. Books: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Mindset by Carol S. Dweck
2. Articles: “The Biases That Blind Us” from Harvard Business Review “Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions” from Harvard Business Review
3. Videos: Daniel Kahneman: “Thinking, Fast and Slow” Carol Dweck: “The Power of Believing That You Can Improve”

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