Leverage Maps #28: Debug Your Thinking Patterns at Work

Engineers debug code. Managers debug processes. But how often do we debug our own thinking?

Dr. David Burns' "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" identifies cognitive distortions that are systematic errors in how we process information. In the workplace, these mental bugs can derail projects, damage relationships, and stunt career growth.

Common workplace thinking bugs: All-or-nothing thinking: "This deployment failed, so I'm terrible at DevOps." Reality: One incident doesn't define your entire skillset. Overgeneralization: "The stakeholder questioned my timeline once, so they'll never trust my estimates." Reality: One interaction isn't a pattern. Discounting evidence: You receive positive feedback on your code review but dismiss it: "They're just being nice." Meanwhile, you replay every critical comment. Jumping to conclusions: Your manager schedules a 1:1 and you assume you're in trouble, when they actually want to discuss a promotion opportunity.

The cost of mental bugs Unlike code bugs that fail fast, thinking bugs fail slow. They accumulate technical debt in your relationships and decision-making. A junior engineer who catastrophizes every mistake burns out. A manager who overgeneralizes team feedback creates toxic dynamics.

The fix: Name it to tame it When you catch yourself in distorted thinking, pause and label it. "I'm doing all-or-nothing thinking right now." This simple act of recognition interrupts the pattern and opens space for more balanced analysis.

Your career depends not just on your technical skills. It also depends on how clearly you think about problems, people, and progress.