Its scary to think that some of the choices and decisions you make as leaders could be illegal
We work in our life bubbles and most people assume what they are doing is for the better. However I get the feeling that we are blinkered by our own filters from past experiences and the preferences that we have created as a result. These unconscious bias’ that we then work with are reinforced in our actions at work, home and in the community.
Where do you develop an unconscious bias?
We seem to develop unconsiously. Bias comes from the preferences that we have built up over time. These have been created through life and start at a very early age from the environment, background and personal experiences that you have had.
Pausing before you read on…If a friend was to say what your bias’ were what would they say?
Whats the science behind it
How we make these bias’s is becoming clearer. Neuroscience has now established that when we feel threatened and or under pressure messages to the Hypothalmus are limited. This is the very part of the brain that allows us to keep a broader perspective, be more creative and less likely to connect to others (Christine Comaford.
What are you feeling now and how is this affecting your judgement?
Thinking of a time when you have been under pressure and needing to make a decision what have you done? Is this a consistent effective pattern?
What are the approaches we as humans apply to decisions?
Daniel Kahneman believes, through research, that we operate two systems that we apply when making judgements. One, what he describes as system 1, is when we combine what we know already with the new information to make a choice. The second is a more deliberate response to the situation where a fresh approach to new thoughts and analysis. There is a tendency for people to mostly use system 1.
Which one do you tend to use? What do you feel to be most effective for the longer term?
What Bias’ impact the workplace?
The Kanan- Flagler Business school has come up with 5 bias’ that can impact the work place which are:
- “Affinity bias: The tendency to warm up to people like ourselves.
- Halo effect: The tendency to think everything about a person is good because you like that person
- Perception bias: The tendency to form stereotypes and assumptions about certain groups that make it impossible to make an objective judgement about members of those groups.
- Confirmation bias: The tendency for people to seek information that confirms preexisting beliefs or assumptions.
- Group think: This bias occurs when people try too hard to fit into a particular group by mimicking others or holding back thoughts and opinions. This causes them to lose part of their identities and causes organisations to lose out on creativity and innovation”
Looking back in recent weeks to your decision making how many of the workplace bias’ have you used without knowing?
What bias’ can affect you being successful?
- Who you recruit as a leader, team member and or professional
- Who you select as a mentor and coach
- What you define as success
- How you build your build ideas?
What bias has hindered you in the past?
What is the impact to the business?
- Reduced or narrowed innovation
- Reduced retention of staff as they feel under valued
- Not all human capital is utilised reducing impact for short and long term business success
- Reduced productivity as there isnt the diversity of skills and minds in the team
- Reduced pool of people to choose from for new talent to meet future business needs
How has your bias’ impacted you and your business in the past?
So what can you do to minimise this?
10 Actions to keep you on track to success
- Consciously get to know yourself — we so often drift from one thing to another without taking the time to really consider our preferences and what they mean in different circumstances
- Check past patterns — What patterns have you set with decisions you have made in the past? What can you learn from these and how could they be better?
- Get comfortable being uncomfortable — continually create opportunities where you go beyond where you feel comfortable.
- Spread the diversity of people and skills you collaborate with — this could be with different professions, different departments and people you tend not to spend time with.
- Give yourself time to understand the reasons and science behind unconscious bias
- Be transparent about your decision making by having processes and systems clear to everyone and reinforced by leaders (behaviours) who follow them
- Be honest when you make a mistake and be open about what happened
- Find a mentor and or coach who can allow you to explore the success and challenges of a bias in a safe environment
- Prime yourself before you make choices — for example have a number of set questions that you bring up before you select for recruitment
- Metaphorically look in the mirror and check that you are not repeating or duplicating what you already have and like
- Select people across the different areas you work who can probe you about decisions and perspectives
As we all roll through busy schedules and it feels like we hardly have time to breathe let alone reflect on things, there is a danger we are repeating bad habits that only affect our health, work and communities we operate.
By having triggers to remind ourselves, get guided by colleagues to nudge us and continually pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones there is a possibility that we will dilute some of our bias’.
I love rolling my sleeves up and getting under the skin of a significant challenge working with high energy, new and established teams (mostly entrepreneurs, tech and small businesses) to be productive, high performing and prosperous (healthy and happy).
Lizzie Rhodes James is a Performance Coach and Facilitator who specialises in helping teams and individuals exceed their potential at work and in life. Having successfully transitioned from a successful Army career into the Corporate world, Lizzie brings an exceptional and distinctive blend of discipline, focus and agility into her practice. Lizzie is also passionate about health and wellness, and adds a depth of thinking to align body and mind, enhancing overall performance and encouraging clients to transcend their limits.
