Nearly everyone falls victim to "self-handicapping bias," or the psychological tendency to under-prepare or undersell yourself during new opportunities, says workplace performance coach Henna Pryor.
"When we self-handicap, we essentially protect ourselves from the consequences of our own failure," Pryor tells CNBC Make It.
Self-handicapping can can look like putting off prep for a big meeting or starting a presentation with "I'm bad at public speaking."
Even high-performing employees self-handicap, Pryor says, and it's often driven by a fear of failure.
Luckily, there are ways to stop self-handicapping, Pryor says.
Persons:
Pryor, It's
Organizations:
CNBC