Table 1.

Avoiding Pitfalls in Collegial Interactions

Pitfall	Definition	Example	Strategy	Example
Objectivity illusion	Presume personal objectivity	“Colleagues who start new drugs before me are unwise and after me are too slow”	Encourage a diversity of feedback	“Reasonable people can disagree on the best choice and I may be off”
Self-serving situational attributions	Misunderstanding situational influences	“My mistakes reflect circumstances whereas your mistakes indicate a character flaw”	Diligently check the context of a behavior	“I might have made the same mistake but for the grace of God go I”
Confirmation bias	Avoid dissenting viewpoints	“My hunch feels correct and I will next strengthen my arguments further”	Invite someone to play devil’s advocate	“Since I may be wrong, what’s an alternative I should also consider”