We all carry with us our own collection of experiences that inform the thousands of daily decisions—both large and small—that we make. There is nothing we can do to change our past experiences, but we can try to be more aware of how much we allow them influence us. I am a big believer in listening to you gut instincts. In business—as in many aspects of our lives—it’s important to weigh that instinctual message against a more objective set of questions and available information.

This article (Outsmart your own biases, HBR) describes a number of approaches to help manage our natural bias.

Some key insights:

Listen your instincts as well as well outside information
Acknowledge your mood or emotional strength—being mentally or physically tired can derail decision-making processes
Be aware of the natural human desire for certainty and don’t ignore or dismiss unconventional solutions too quickly