It's often said that our perception shapes our "reality"—but in technology we need to work off of facts not our perception or what we believe is root-cause of an issue. So what happens when our perceptions are overly rigid or not providing a view to actual objective reality? Just the facts? What usually happens is: we aren't getting the whole picture, something I recently wrote about in the think-piece "The Map is Not the Territory". When we find ourselves, during downtime troubleshooting or other related activity, advocating about what "we believe" is root cause, we're not serving our team and we could be engaged in lazy-thinking: holding to a preciously-held dogma of "I saw this broken before, I know what this is".
We have a bias to wanting to be right and this dictates how we view and respond to the world. This habit can lead us astray, locking us into patterns of confirmation bias which limits our ability to adapt or grow. To truly innovate and excel—both personally and professionally—we must shift our approach from interpretation-based experience to one grounded firmly in data and facts.
Breaking Free from Fixed Perceptions
Humans are inherently interpretive beings. We draw conclusions from our experiences, and once formed, these conclusions tend to persist, coloring our subsequent interactions. But interpretations are subjective—they rely heavily on personal experiences, beliefs, and biases. This inherent subjectivity can cause blind spots, obstructing clearer vision.
To counteract this, adopt a "data over dogma" mentality. When confronted with a familiar situation, ask yourself, "What do the data and facts really say?" Question your assumptions consistently and actively seek contradictory evidence rather than reinforcing your established beliefs. By consciously practicing this, you maintain flexibility and cultivate a habit of continuous curiosity, essentially nurturing a "beginner's mind."
Data-Driven Thinking in Technical Work
In the technical domain, particularly IT, engineering, or analytics, dogma can become especially dangerous. Suppose you're troubleshooting network performance or managing software deployments. If you rely purely on your past interpretations—"It’s always been this issue, so it must be again"—you risk overlooking new variables or emerging trends. The consequences can include prolonged downtime, frustrated users, and avoidable expenses.
Instead, approach technical issues freshly. Gather objective, verifiable data from monitoring tools, logs, performance metrics, and user reports. Of course we should consult our ITSM closed ticket solution data and KBs; however, that is only half the battle. Rather than assuming a solution, allow data to lead you. Maybe the issue isn’t with bandwidth, this time, but with some other piece of underlying infrastructure. Perhaps the software issue isn’t a known bug, but a misconfiguration introduced by recent changes. Every outage can be different, even when troubleshooting an outage that appears the same as one you've already experienced. Letting-go of preconceptions empowers you to see what's genuinely happening, which in turn ensures quicker and more precise problem-solving.
Beware of Measuring the Wrong Things
Even while emphasizing data-driven decisions, remain vigilant to ensure you're collecting and interpreting meaningful data. It's tempting to measure what's easy or familiar, missing data points that could show you the true underlying problems—or opportunities. For example, tracking how quickly your IT support resolves tickets might seem valuable, but speed alone can incentivize rushed fixes rather than quality solutions. A better metric could be tracking resolution quality through repeat issue rates or direct user feedback.
In other words, make sure your metrics truly align with your objectives and desired outcomes. Misaligned metrics create an illusion of progress, obscuring real issues rather than illuminating solutions.
Avoiding Confirmation Bias / Embracing a Beginner's Mind
Confirmation bias—favoring information that supports existing experience or existing beliefs—is a universal cognitive trap. To avoid it, proactively seek information that challenges your assumptions. Ask questions that provoke alternative explanations. Engage with diverse perspectives and actively encourage dissent in discussions.
I wrote about this recently, and it holds true for me every single day. Beginner’s mind is an open mind: curious, humble, and receptive. It doesn't assume it knows the answer, and thus, it is always ready to learn something new. It also avoids wasted time running down those rabbit holes that assumptions create. Cultivating this mindset ensures you stay adaptable and effective in your technical and professional environments. A Beginner's mind that leverages raw data is almost unbeatable during almost any downtime.
Final Thought: Data as Your Guide
By placing "data over dogma," you unlock clarity, innovation, and genuine growth. When you let-go of rigid interpretations, objectively measure what's meaningful and related to the problem you're trying to solve, and maintain a Beginner’s mind: your decisions become smarter, your responses quicker, and your growth more sustainable. Let the data—not dogma—lead your way!