Labeling coworkers as lazy or incompetent ignores situational factors; the article shows how this bias damages performance, collaboration and retention.
Fundamental attribution error is the habit of judging a person's behavior as a fixed character trait while ignoring the context that shaped it. The piece opens with vivid examples - a manager instantly branding a new hire as "incompetent" because of a slow start, without considering the mentor's availability. By framing the error as a cognitive shortcut, it makes clear why leaders repeatedly misinterpret performance.
The article walks through real workplace scenarios: a senior engineer's frustration, a boss's urgent pings, and a distracted new hire dealing with a family emergency. Each story demonstrates how snap judgments erode trust, reinforce bias, and can even push talent out the door. It also links the bias to other mental shortcuts like confirmation bias, showing how they compound to create a toxic feedback loop.
Practical advice focuses on asking situational questions - why did this happen, what constraints exist, and how does the person normally add value. By replacing quick character attributions with deliberate context checks, leaders can improve team morale, make fairer decisions, and keep high-potential engineers from leaving. The core takeaway is that awareness and a habit of probing the situation can break the cycle of mislabeling and boost overall team performance.
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