{"id":4995,"date":"2021-10-12T17:16:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T17:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/?post_type=article&p=4995"},"modified":"2025-07-14T21:36:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T21:36:44","slug":"thats-how-weve-always-done-it-a-guide-to-using-ptr","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/thats-how-weve-always-done-it-a-guide-to-using-ptr\/","title":{"rendered":"Check Your Bias and Improve Results with PTR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ver este recurso en espa\u00f1ol.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever made a decision\u2014from how you communicate important announcements to staff to what you ate for breakfast\u2014you\u2019ve used PTR.*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PTR, which stands for preferences, traditions, and requirements, is a tool that can help you focus on what really matters so that you can mitigate bias and get to better outcomes. From an equity and inclusion standpoint, PTR is an invitation to pause, consider new perspectives, and be more explicit about organizational norms, culture, or expectations. Using PTR can help you mitigate bias in hiring, communicate more effectively when delegating, and stay open to new approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re a senior leader for a school or nonprofit. For as long as you\u2019ve been there, all managers and project leaders have been asked to produce polished, written progress reports weekly. As you\u2019re onboarding a new manager, here are some things you might communicate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Graphic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur leadership team meets weekly to make joint decisions and give input. I prefer updates in writing in advance, so we do these weekly and send them over email.”

It\u2019s tempting to start with our traditions or preferences, which are often tied to our personal values and experiences. Habits are hard to break, and sometimes there\u2019s a good reason for the approach we\u2019ve used. If there is, be sure to share it. However, we recommend that project leaders and managers start from the bottom: get clear on the R, and then consider the preferences and traditions that might help or hurt your path toward results.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By isolating the three components, you can manage with an eye toward the requirements, seek other perspectives, and be explicit when there\u2019s a reason for requesting a particular approach.

In the example above, you might start with, “Our leadership team meets weekly to make joint decisions and give input. Traditionally, we’ve shared updates over email in advance. I’d love to discuss what works best for you. My only requirement is that all team members have the info they need to make decisions, feel connected, and collaborate well during meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Separating your PTRs takes practice. Here are some considerations as you get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Articulate the requirements or outcomes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Be specific about the goal you\u2019re trying to achieve to build the team\u2019s sense of ownership over getting great results. In the example above, you could start by looking at your organizational values\u2014let\u2019s say they include transparency and collaboration. With these values in mind, you clarify that the requirement is really for everyone to have timely access to the information they need to feel more connected, make decisions in their realm, and spot opportunities to collaborate. Writing is a preference and weekly emails are a tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By distinguishing the requirement, you may find you want to explore new paths to the same outcome, such as video updates with transcripts, which could be even more engaging and accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Be flexible and seek other perspectives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seek other perspectives as you separate your R\u2019s from your P\u2019s and T\u2019s. Sometimes, you\u2019ll need to let go of your preferences or work with staff to revise traditions (however beloved) as your team grows in size and\/or diversity. This is an important choice point<\/a>. When we rely on preferences and traditions as a shortcut to outcomes, we risk short-circuiting our team\u2019s ingenuity and missing new approaches that come from diverse experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Watch out for sneaky P\u2019s and T\u2019s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We all tend to conflate our preferences and traditions with requirements. Some P\u2019s and T\u2019s have been around so long that they sneakily become auto-pilot requirements. This can impact the success, participation, and belonging of your team members who have different needs, experiences, or ideas. It can also obscure your goal. If you find yourself dictating how<\/em> you\u2019d like something done instead of the result you\u2019re aiming for, pause and ask yourself if the \u201chow\u201d is really a requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above all, never let P\u2019s and T\u2019s become default expectations that only you\u2019re aware of. When this happens, staff who are more like you (or know you better) are more likely to pick up on those expectations. Conversely, staff who are less like you may not be able to read your mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Be explicit about preferences and traditions\u2014and why they exist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with preferences or traditions\u2014as long as you acknowledge them openly and distinguish them from requirements. When you\u2019re suggesting an approach to meet a goal, name it as a preference or tradition, share the \u201cwhy\u201d alongside the \u201chow,\u201d and indicate how open you are to other ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n