Trait ascription bias: a tendency to describe one’s own behaviour in terms of situational factors while preferring to describe another’s behaviour by ascribing fixed dispositions to their personality.
Our behaviour tends to affect the way our business grows (or doesn’t grow). There are business owners who are pragmatic, based firmly in reality and while they do look at past business and future trends, they realize that what is going on day to day is what will affect the eventual outcome of their business.
While outside factors can and do have some effect on your business, it’s how you deal with them that will count. If you are unable to look at yourself realistically, whether it is your good traits or those which aren’t so good, this can have a negative effect on not just your business but those that work closely with you and even your customers. We all like to think we don’t have any major faults and when things go wrong in our business, we would like to look for any excuse outside of ourselves for things being the way they are.
We can sometimes be quick to point out the flaws in others that are causing a slowdown in their business but rarely do we see these same things in ourselves. We see the variables in our own personality but find those of our business competitors quite predictable. We feel we can handle a variety of situations with flexibility and if it doesn’t work out, it has to be because of something beyond our control. Ascribing traits to others for the same behaviour we show while laying the blame for the behaviour firmly on them is trait ascription bias and we are all guilty of doing this at one time or another but when it becomes a common thing and our business reflects this, then it’s time to reflect a little on why we are this way.
A good example is a business owner who angers easily, tends to take it out on their employees and at times their customers. While they call this a reasonable misunderstanding when it pertains to them, they consider it neurotic in other business owners and accuse them of a lack of discipline and not trying to co-operate. There is always a reason for one’s own behaviour that is quite understandable but in someone else they are accused of deep rooted personality traits.
Being aware of your own flaws is much more important than jumping to conclusions over the idiosyncrasies of others. Allowing your behaviour to affect your business while maintaining the outlook that nothing is your fault can mean the downfall of your business.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2014
