The problem with our brains – are you ready to get uncomfortable?

Earlier this week I hosted a mass mentoring session for colleagues across HSBC Wealth and Personal Banking, learning about our brains, the behavioural science of bias and how we can be more inclusive. While this is one of my favourite topics, I am by no means an expert so we were joined by consultants from Ogilvy’s Behavourial Science Practice - Jack Duddy and Ella Jenkins.

The first time I did unconscious bias training was in 1999 in San Francisco. At the time I was working in a very non-inclusive environment and little did I know at the time, but the way I’d been brought up had created a set of biases that skewed my decision making. For me, personally, this topic really resonates and I’ve come to learn over the years that the first step in addressing unconscious bias is by understanding that we all have them. 

It’s such an important subject for leaders in general, but it’s critically important when it comes to diversity and inclusion. One of my favourite phrases is inclusion is global but diversity is local. We need to live by this statement. Diversity and inclusion is a topic I am really passionate about, as you may know from some of my previous posts. Not only is it good for performance - improving collaboration and innovation - but it’s good for business, helping us to better service the needs of our customers across all our markets. And in my opinion, it creates more interesting office environments – bringing together different backgrounds, ideas and styles.

So what is the ‘problem’ with our brains? Part of our brains are wired to make automatic, quick thinking decisions. While mostly this is a good thing and we’re able to make decisions quickly and recognise patterns, it can also cause us to take shortcuts, jump to conclusions and make assumptions that can stereotype and exclude people.

It creates biases. Unconscious biases.

While biases are something we all have, unconsciously, there are many things we can do to better understand the science of bias and what we can do about it so that we are equipped to lead a more inclusive environment.

I wanted to share a few of my key takeaways from the session with @Ogilvy, which I think are valuable for us all to be aware of.

It’s important we put structures around our biases.

Biases can disproportionally affect our thoughts. Every day we make small decisions that can affect our behaviour towards diversity and inclusion.

Interviewing new talent is probably one of the key areas where unconscious bias occurs. Believe it or not but simple things like interviewing before or after our lunch can affect our perceptions. But we can increase the diversity of our decisions by changing the way we make them. Research shows that when making a series of decisions in one go, we want to make a diversification. Therefore, hiring in groups can lead to more diverse hires.

What can we do about unconscious bias?

You can’t turn off your unconscious biases – it’s about how we manage these:

·        As leaders, it’s important we accept and understand that we all have them

·        We need to learn about our own unconscious biases, become aware and adjust

·        We need to destigmatise unconscious bias. We aren’t to blame but it’s on us to act accordingly

·        Minimise the impact of our unconscious biases

·        Shift the focus from individuals to teams to encourage them to look out for it

A diverse and inclusive culture is something everyone plays a part in creating, every single day.

We can all actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, and behave in ways that enable everyone to be at their best. Understanding unconscious bias is the first step. The next step is up to you.

I really enjoyed this session and I’d like to thank those colleagues who took the time to email me their feedback and reflections afterwards. I’d love to hear about your tips to help tackle unconscious bias.