“Wherever there is judgment, there is noise. And there is a lot more of it than you realize.” Daniel Kahneman
Talent Review Meetings are designed to provide a broader and more balanced picture of employees. Yet unconscious cognitive biases inevitably slip into these conversations and may distort the quality of the dialogue. As the facilitator, it’s your role to identify these biases and bring them into the open.
- Confirmation Bias: How we selectively hear what we already believe
Confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that reinforces your existing beliefs. It’s a bit like reading your horoscope: you focus on the positive parts that fit the story you want to believe. You’re seeking confirmation.
The same thing happens during Talent Reviews. When a colleague shares feedback about someone in your team that doesn’t align with the image you have of that person, you may, often unconsciously, disregard it. As a consequence, the input is lost and never makes it to the employee as feedback.
🔑 Key insights for facilitators
Two ways to reduce the impact of this bias:
- At the end of each Talent Review discussion, ask this question:
“What feedback will you pass on to this employee?”
If valuable insights are being ignored, call it out. This strengthens listening skills and helps ensure the discussion leads to a balanced view of each employee. - Ensure that the colleague providing the feedback shares it directly with the employee. This avoids a distorted message and ensures the employee actually receives the feedback.
- Anchoring Bias: When the first input steers the whole discussion
Anchoring bias occurs when the first piece of information shared about an employee heavily shapes the entire evaluation. Consider these two statements:
- “Tim is loyal, hardworking and a strong team player. He has made some mistakes recently that cost us clients.”
- “Arjan has made some mistakes recently that cost us clients. He is loyal, hardworking and a strong team player.”
Even though the information is identical, Tim will almost inevitably be judged more favourably than Arjan. This unconscious cognitive process has a significant impact on how we perceive people.
🔑 Key insights for facilitators
- Have leaders start by identifying two strengths. This helps shape the tone of the conversation and supports a more balanced assessment.
- Use a data-driven approach to collect and visualize information on each person to discuss.
👉 Looking for more practical tips on recognising and reducing cognitive biases to strengthen your role as a Talent Review facilitator?
Register for the training “Strengthen Your Skills as Facilitator of the Talent Review Meeting.”
Conclusion
Unconscious biases often find their way into Talent Review Meetings and blur judgment. Two frequent ones are confirmation bias and anchoring bias. These cognitive biases are human and unavoidable, but by recognizing them and addressing them intentionally, you significantly improve the quality of your Talent Reviews. A mindful facilitator enables leaders to listen more deeply and make more objective judgments.
Inspiring source: Daniel Kahneman (2011), Thinking Fast and Slow
Frequently asked questions about Talent Review Meetings
- How can I, as facilitator, help leaders make more conscious and objective judgments during the Talent Review?
As a facilitator you play a key role in guiding the leadership team as they discuss employees. Start by establishing clear ground rules for what is acceptable in the meeting, and hold one another accountable as the discussion unfolds. For instance, prompt leaders to ask clarifying questions that sharpen the development goal they intend to address with the employee.
It’s also crucial to have the definitions of potential, performance, and other criteria clearly in mind, both literally and figuratively. These definitions serve as anchor points during discussions.
- What other tools can help make the Talent Review more objective and evidence-based?
You can integrate tools into the Talent Review Process that gather input from both the employee (aspirations, potential) and the manager (performance, potential, collaboration …). The combined output will be your starting point for the Talent Review conversation.
An evidence-based example is the Talent Review Profiler from TalentLogiQs.
Another option would be to include existing information about the employee, such as development or assessment center results, 360° feedback …, when discussing potential (as long as this information can be legitimately shared).
Finally, you can also choose to conduct an assessment after the Talent Review Meeting, for example by using a potential questionnaire.