You think you're not biased. But are you, unconsciously? I am. It's natural.

As we count down to International Women’s Day this Sunday 8th March, I've done some soul searching about gender, and how it shows up at work, particularly for leaders and those they work with.

The research and multiple conversations to test the views in my most recent blog, led me to an uncomfortable confrontation with my own unconscious bias. One aspect of that was how I’d characterised “men”, unfairly at times.

Another was how much leadership behaviour is about power, not gender. Might some of what we talk about as gendered behaviours be as much about power dynamics as gender?

Either way, what feels like ‘natural’ behaviour might be deeply problematic, when examined more closely.

Watching Planet of the Apes (accidentally... my partner had the tv on, truly!) last Sunday reminded me how basic some of our “factory settings” are as humans (Or animals!).

The movie shows an inversion of the current ape / human hierarchy, and was, on its release in 1968, seen as a social allegory and commentary on racial discrimination issues in the US. Now, against a backdrop of vegan activism, it might be seen as underlining animal rights and as questioning the automatic superiority assumption of one group when we pit ourselves against another.

The take home message from unconscious bias research, the diverse women in financial services who’ve kindly shared their stories with me, and Planet of the Apes, is the same. 

Those in power, whether we're a monkey, woman or man, seem to "naturally" define "good" in ways that look, sound, walk and talk like us.

We also, as a collective, tend to (deliberately or inadvertently) dominate in ways that disadvantage those who are not part of the dominant group. 

Unless we make a really big effort to build a bridge to the minority 'others', and to deliberately be inclusive.

That does not, despite the evident greater good, feel good or feel "natural". Efforts to be inclusive are often rejected outright by those in the dominant culture.

It takes effort to practice being inclusive for long enough - performing a series of initially 'unnatural' acts- until it starts to be ‘natural’.

One man (in his 50s) I spoke to in the lead up to publishing our piece on unconscious bias pointed out that he and his peers have had to learn what gender-inclusive behaviour looks like, whereas younger men and women have grown up that way. It’s natural for the younger people, he said. But that’s not, in his mind, a reason for his and his older male colleagues to accept their ‘factory settings’. He and his peers have no doubt diversity matters and they want it in their colleagues.

So it was also interesting to read that David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, had said that he will no longer agree to take public any company without at least one “diverse” board member. But will that help?

The evidence suggests simply “putting a woman on the board” might only achieve fundamental change for the woman herself. According to a PwC study if decision-making is to be influenced by any one group, that group must make up at least 30% of the total body.

I'd argue because that's what it takes for any one group's voice and presence to help redefine what 'good' looks like. 

Which brings me back to the blog and the uncomfortable topic of unconscious bias – those biases we often don’t know we have, but which influence (sometimes strongly) the decisions we make – from hiring to promoting. 

We'd all like to think we are not as biased as we are, or that we can keep our biases in check. And it is true we can reduce our unconscious bias, but it takes effort.

Effort that doesn't, to start with, feel natural.

Not understanding our own biases leaves us open to a Darwinian "it feels right" world of work and leadership.

A ‘Planet of the Apes’ scenario where we submit to the easy, but darker, path of characterising ‘other’ as ‘bad’. 

This is why International Women’s Day matters. It's a day to recognise that we are individually responsible for our own thoughts and actions. We can challenge gender stereotypes, fight bias (unconscious or otherwise) and celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. All crucial steps on the road to a better world.

In "Hello CEOs, goodbye #unconsciousbias?", I've shared how some senior women in financial services experience bias. I also go through ten examples of #unconsciousbias and what you as financial services leaders can do to make the workplace better for everyone.

Don’t shoot the messenger!