From Unconscious Bias to Conscious Action

Not sure what types of biases there are in the workplace? Watch this?short powerful video?put out by Deloitte UK.

There is a great, strengthening movement for us to understand our unconscious biases. To acknowledge that we are seeing people in particular through lenses and filters of our own making, of childhood perceptions, of hearsay often based on falsehoods.?In the wake of this past year's racial trauma with the George Floyd killing and social media images that can no longer be erased from our memories, 1000's of companies became more open and proactive?to social and racial justice work.?

Leader in the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) field, Howard Ross the founder of?Cook Ross?and Udarta?(who has written numerous best-selling books on the issue)?shared during a fabulous keynote session at the Forum for Workplace Inclusion that I attended a few years ago on how this unconscious bias can creep into making poor hiring decisions at your company. Think of this scenario that he shared:

Candidate A?(Deidre) reminds me of my favorite aunt, I feel comfortable around her and want to give her a great big hug...

Candidate B?(Sandra) reminds me of a girl who broke my heart in the 5th grade, I find myself feeling nervous in her presence.

So who does he hire? Bias has set in and he could end up making the wrong choice unless he?deliberately acknowledges his bias?and is very thoughtful about how the ultimate decision will be made. He might, for example, involve two other people in the decision-making process and openly share his bias.

"I thought you would have horns," a teen said to my daughter once perplexed. They met in a hospital and were really bonding. "I was told that all Jewish people had horns," she said.

The world of “I love + respect all women” the world of “I am color blind” or "I have a friend who is [fill in the blank] is yesteryear. Let’s own it, we are biased in some way. Accept that. We then can become more careful to not ‘judge a book (or a colleague) by the cover, color, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religion.’ We might also start better understanding why some colleagues cannot comfortably attend social events and large meetings given anxiety and depression that plagues a growing percent of us post-pandemic (44% of 18-24-year-olds are at risk of a diagnosable mental health disorder according to Sapien Labs). I met a fabulous young black woman who had to leave her job under the disability act because she was being asked by her boss to speak publicly dozens of times (to be the face of the organization) and it was fostering high anxiety for her.

So Now What??One action area we can be really solutions-oriented to drive more diversity and ROI for our companies is in the realm of?Sponsorship. A move to translate unconscious bias awareness to real action and diversity impact. I won’t mince my words here, but just state a fact that our country in almost every sector is led by white men. If you need some data, in 2021 41?women?(8%) hold Fortune 500 CEO positions, there are?3 black CEO's?of Fortune 500s we have 21 female Senators (out of 100), blacks and Hispanics make up about?16%?of IT roles nationwide and about 5% of tech hires in Silicon Valley- you get the picture...

To clarify,?A?mentor?speaks to you and advises you, a?sponsor?speaks about you behind closed doors and champions you for a job, a promotion, an opportunity. As shared in numerous of?my earlier HuffPost articles, 83% of women don’t have Sponsors and 46% of men do according to economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett. If you think about it, the entire ‘old boys network’ and Silicon Valley are built on Sponsorship. I have discussed this?since starting my company with about 1200 high-powered women. Of women that do have Sponsors, 9:10 shared that their Sponsors were men. It now makes sense as men have traditionally more power, higher-level positions often, and... perhaps... more of a biological?tendency?for Sponsorship. They just tend more to gravitate and Sponsor people who remind them of themselves. People in their own likeness.

So if I could write a two-pronged prescription of transcending some of our unconscious bias into?conscious action?this would be it:

1] We need male leaders to take on some stretch assignments... get out of their comfort zones and find her or him or they/them. Sponsor (champion) someone who is awesome?who does NOT remind you of yourself. Mentor too. Stretch out your hand, champion HER, HIM, expedite their trip to the higher floors, to getting a new client, to closed-door boardrooms or the big golf outing. Help her build her legacy hand in hand as you build yours with others who lifted you up. I loved talking to a group of women VP leaders at eBay who shared that it was part of their performance reviews to mentor three others and at least one person needed to be diverse.

... and 2]?Ladies,?by any means, we are not off the hook. In fact, we need to double down here. We need to actually own our great power and unique capabilities. We need to flex our muscles, Lululemon yoga pants and St. Johns Knits to champion other multi-generational, multi-ethnic women... and also sponsor young men. THEN It was the hallmark of the old boys' network, NOW Sponsorship is now foundational MUST in our new evolving sisterhood. Take action.

So we admitted we are biased and?STEP TWO, "We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity" + an elevation of our humanity.

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Julie Silard Kantor is CEO of?Twomentor, LLC. She is passionate about elevating women and diversity in the workforce,?driving Millennial + GenZ engagement and retention through customized mentorship and sponsorship strategies that drive metrics-based ROI. To schedule a conversation, training, or a speaking engagement, please contact us through [email protected]

PS. Don't just wait for the leaders at the top. You can also experiment with?Co-Sponsorship solutions?to get your sea legs started (essentially Sponsorship as a two-way street).

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