4 Bias and Judgment in Risk Management

samba dirty south, bossa nova, koto drill and bass, egyptian swing

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
In boardrooms where decisions bloom and wither
Cognitive traps lie waiting in disguise
Confirmation seeks what makes us feel much fitter
While anchoring pulls wool across our eyes
Politics and power play their ancient games
Information hoarded, siloed, incomplete
Incentives twisted, misaligned their aims
Risk becomes a puzzle with missing piece

[Chorus]
Bias creeps, judgment sleeps
When we think we see it clear
Diverse minds, structured finds
Keep the blind spots from appearing
Challenge hard, devil's card
Pre-mortem tears reveal the fear
Human flaw meets system's awe
In the framework we hold dear

[Verse 2]
The overconfident executive proclaims
"This project cannot fail, I know for sure"
While groupthink whispers everyone's the same
And dissent becomes a voice that's heard no more
Availability makes recent memories loud
The helicopter crash drowns railway death
Sunk costs drag down the most analytical crowd
As escalation steals away their breath

[Chorus]
Bias creeps, judgment sleeps
When we think we see it clear
Diverse minds, structured finds
Keep the blind spots from appearing
Challenge hard, devil's card
Pre-mortem tears reveal the fear
Human flaw meets system's awe
In the framework we hold dear

[Bridge]
Red teams attack what blue teams built with care
Independent voices pierce the corporate veil
Structured analysis strips assumptions bare
Pre-mortem autopsies before we fail
Rotate the lens, invite the outside view
Question sacred cows and gold-plated schemes

[Verse 3]
COSO knows that humans drive the wheel
But cognitive shortcuts steer us off the track
Design your processes to make biases kneel
Build checks and balances to hold you back
From rushing toward the cliff of certainty
Where hubris meets its inevitable end

[Final Chorus]
Bias creeps, judgment sleeps
When we think we see it clear
Diverse minds, structured finds
Keep the blind spots from appearing
Challenge hard, devil's card
Pre-mortem tears reveal the fear
Human flaw meets system's awe
Enterprise risk engineered

[Outro]
Acknowledge the weakness in our human sight
Then build the tools to magnify what's true

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