How to Overcome Expert Bias
From The Innovators Studio with Phil McKinney by Phil McKinney
May 13, 2026 · 15 min · Season 21 · Episode 6
About this episode
Phil McKinney discusses how to overcome expert bias in decision making and the importance of questioning expert recommendations.
Last June, I was on a business trip in Silicon Valley when a second cardiac device failed. Same problem with a second surgical team six months apart. The full story is on philmckinney.com. What changed everything was one doctor who stopped treating what everyone else had diagnosed and asked whether they even had the right problem. That one question uncovered what two surgical teams had missed. That's the expert trap. And it shows up in your business, your career, and your decisions far more than you'd expect. Before you act on the next expert recommendation you receive, there are three checks almost nobody makes. Stay with me, because one of them is going to feel uncomfortable. That's the one that matters most. THE TRAP A friend of mine ran a mid-sized manufacturing company, and a few years ago, he hired a well-regarded industry analyst to help him think through where his business was headed. The analyst had data, slide decks, and a client list that made you feel like you were in good company just being in the room. He pointed to three companies in adjacent categories that had shifted to direct-to-consumer sales and won. He was confident, he was credible, and he was paid well to…
People in this episode
Host: Phil McKinney
Topics covered
- expert bias
- decision making
- business strategy
- entrepreneurship
- problem solving
Keywords
- expert bias
- decision making
- business advice
- entrepreneurship
- Silicon Valley
- problem solving
- industry analyst
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Silicon Valley, manufacturing company, industry analyst, direct-to-consumer
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