This week, I delved into the intriguing world of the Birmingham screwdriver—a slang term for a hammer. It turns out that in the 19th century, Birmingham, a bustling hub of the Industrial Revolution, faced a similar bias to the one we’ve witnessed more recently toward China; there was a preconceived notion that everything produced there lacked quality due to unskilled labor. Due to this lack of skill, workers would use the same tool – supposedly, a hammer – for all purposes.

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail.” – I had already heard this quote, which seems to be attributed to Maslow (the same person who created the hierarchy of needs), but the Birmingham historical background brings a different charm to the concept. Fast forward to 2024, I am often reminded of it by the highly skilled workers of the tech community. In tech, trends in tooling often resemble Birmingham screwdrivers. 

Take Scrum, for instance. It’s been around for almost three decades, yet only recently have people begun to grasp that agility is more about mindset than process. It’s about adapting your approach based on your team’s people and purpose. More recently, this notion struck me when, as a product manager, I noticed a push towards releasing everything as an A/B test. While this can be beneficial in certain scenarios, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. For instance, in my case with a small audience, running experiments can lead to long waits for meaningful results and legal compliance headaches. I fear that sometimes people may take refuge in experimentation to compensate for poor discovery (hence, higher risk).

Back to the hammer. Cognitive biases affect every profession, regardless of “skill” level. I use “skilled” in quotes because true expertise includes understanding our own cognitive distortions. Education often overlooks teaching us critical thinking and self-awareness. It’s not just about learning what others have theorized but stepping into the shoes of the philosopher, constantly questioning assumptions and beliefs. Discovering and addressing our biases not only makes us better professionals but also more empathetic individuals. We begin to see that certain behaviors stem from a lack of exposure to information or critical stimulation, rather than inherent flaws. As a parent navigating the challenges of raising a curious 4-year-old, I’m reminded daily of how hard it is to foster a questioning mindset, as the first thing she’ll do with it is to object my parental authority. So excuse me while I drown in despair over constant toddler meltdowns – I’m doing it for the greater good.