Why some people say they "knew it all along" I The Hindsight Effect
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Why some people say they "knew it all along" I The Hindsight Effect
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About this listen
A decision flops, a deadline slips, a plan fails — and suddenly everyone “knew” it would happen. But did they? Or are we rewriting the past to protect our pride?
In this episode, Martin Wolf and Dr. Verena Seibert-Giller explore Hindsight Bias, the brain’s sneaky habit of altering memories once an outcome is known. It feels harmless — but it quietly undermines accountability, distorts learning, and poisons feedback culture.
They dive into:
– Why we mistake outcome clarity for past insight
– How hindsight bias makes leaders overconfident (and team members hesitant)
– The risk of punishing others for what wasn’t knowable at the time
– Why complex systems (like startups or politics) are especially vulnerable
– A concrete reflection hack to track knowledge as it evolves
This episode helps you separate memory from reality, protect psychological safety in post-mortems, and replace shallow blame with better decision hygiene — especially when things go wrong.