Are You a Leader Who Loves Processes – Until You Have to Follow Them?

How do you feel about processes?

The perceived wisdom is that processes enable excellence. If that weren’t the case, why would Singapore Airlines have over 30,000 of them?

Yet there's a curious thing I’ve found with some of the leadership teams I work with: Some leaders love processes and some love the idea of processes.

Those typically to be found in the latter camp often talk about the importance of processes - they fund the development of frameworks, commission org-wide playbooks, and insist that consistently following processes is the key to scaling.

Right up until they’re the ones expected to follow the process.

Maybe you’ve noticed this too.

The leader who champions a new decision-making rubric -until they skip three steps to push their favourite idea through.

Or the leader who introduces a talent review process, but opts to make a gut-call promotion instead of waiting for the process-based calibration.

What’s going on here?

It’s easy to assume hypocrisy or ego.

But often, it’s a little more human—and a little more hidden.

The Hidden Biases That Break the Rules

We’re all human – so we all have biases. Knowing your biases – and those that often cause you to err – is the first step in in the process of handling your biases with the attention they deserve.

Given there are well over 150 biases we can fall prey to, I’m mentioning three of the more insidious biases that can impact the ability of senior leaders to make better decisions.

1. Overconfidence Bias

The more experienced we are, the more likely we are to overestimate our judgment. You’re the leader for a reason – it’s because to date, you’ve made many very good decisions.

But leaders - especially high-achieving ones - can fall into the trap of believing their instincts are better than the system they helped create.

“I’ve seen this before.” “I just know this person will succeed.” “We don’t need to go through all the steps - we’ll waste time.”

Overconfidence can be the enemy of consistency.

The challenge? Because your mental shortcuts have worked before, you often feel great clarity in that crucial decision-making moment.  

2. Confirmation Bias

Once we’ve formed a view, we subconsciously search for information that supports it. A leader might want to hire a particular candidate—and suddenly, all the data seems to line up.

The trouble is, we’re not always aware we’re doing it.

So we shortcut the process to get to what we already believe is the right answer.

Processes are designed to slow us down enough to question our assumptions. But when we believe we already know, the process starts to feel like unnecessary time-wasting.

3. Authority Bias

Many leaders practice influencing without authority. But sometimes, they may slip up and ‘gently’ leverage their authority – to override the process. Not maliciously, but because deep(ish) down, they feel their seniority gives them a wider view.

Sometimes, it does. And sometimes, it doesn’t.

The danger? When leaders bypass the very structure they’ve endorsed, it quietly signals to the organisation that the process is optional.

And what gets modelled, gets mimicked.

What’s the Cost?

Processes, when well designed, are not bureaucracy, they’re boundaries for better decisions.

They reduce subjectivity, ensure fairness, and create clarity.

When leaders, not always – and often unconsciously, treat them as “for others,” they undermine the very culture they’re trying to build.

The process becomes paperwork – and some of that paperwork is filed in the wastepaper basket.

How Can You Lead Yourself Away From Process Bias?

If you recognize yourself in any of these mental shortcuts – or others that aren’t mentioned – can you catch yourself before you’re tempted to leapfrog a process?

Perhaps you can:

Name the impulse

Naming creates a pause, especially if you follow it up with a question: “Am I skipping this because I genuinely see an exception, or because I’m convinced I’m right?”

Invite dissent

Ask someone to challenge your view, especially when you feel most sure. Inviting someone to play the role of Devil’s Advocate (and really thinking through their question and answering post deep reflection) helps leaders avoid terrible mistakes. And don’t invite the same person to be the Devil’s Advocate – otherwise you may create an attribution bias about that person: ‘‘They ask me difficult questions, therefore they are a difficult person.’’

What if this weren’t me?

The really tough question to pose yourself (or have your Devil’s Advocate pose for you) is, ‘’If someone on your team did what you’re about to do, would you be fine with it?’’

Follow Your Own Advice – You Give it For a Reason

How often do you say, ‘’There’s a reason for the process’’, or ‘’Processes drive excellence’’, or any other phrases that signify how important processes are to your team and organization’s success.

The most powerful signal is when you quietly do it yourself – even when, indeed, especially when, it slows you down.

Andrea Stone is an Executive Coach and Global Leadership Development professional, working with cross-cultural leaders and their teams to support success and value creation. And one of the ways she does this is by enabling them to build their capacity to make wiser decisions.

She does this with full knowledge of the biases that have caused her to make some poor decisions in the past - and that she is still needs to arm herself against making poor ones in the present.

© Andrea Stone, Stone Leadership