Shining A Light on Bias

Dear Friends,

I was speaking with a group of CEOs recently about racism and institutional disenfranchisement when one of them said, “But the people at our company are good people. Genuinely nice people.” My reply: “Being nice and being equitable are not the same thing.”

Believing they are means that “nice” leaders are not being trained to lead across boundaries. They aren’t being educated on the blind spots inherent in their “gut instincts.” In other words, it means leaders in that organization—good people, nice people—are upholding the status quo.  Employees do not go to work for people to be nice to them. Or for belonging. (Shocker!) Employees go to work to contribute, to grow, to be promoted, to earn the opportunity to impact the business, and yes, to make money so they can care for their families.

Underrepresented talent—women, LGBTQ+, Black and Brown people, those with disabilities, etc.—cannot do that successfully in the face of bias—even when bias comes from “nice” people. Bias is everywhere because we all have biases. And some of its hiding places hold significant roadblocks for underrepresented talent. Let me shed a bright light on some of the hiding places for bias and share tips on how we can root it out.

Bias Hides in Our Beliefs

What we believe about other people changes how we feel about them, which changes how we treat them, which ultimately affects their opportunity to succeed. Question your beliefs about people. Are they based on facts or what you’ve heard? Challenge what you believe with fact. Don’t have enough personal experience with certain groups of people? Be intentional about changing that. 

Bias Hides in Feedback

People of color are less likely to get timely, relevant, and specific feedback on their performance, which hinders their ability to make early adjustments for long-term success. People on dimensions of difference also get negative feedback for doing the same things white employees do. Because of irrational fears (thanks to the media or other conditioning), the actions, words—even voices—of Black and Brown, women, LGBTQ+, and disabled people are less tolerated. Fear and stereotypes are the culprits. Check the bias in feedback by ensuring the feedback is from a reliable source and based on fact. Ask yourself: Is this compromising the person’s ability to do their job well, or is someone being sensitive? And be sure you’re not asking someone to be perfect, to clear more hurdles than others, or neglect a part of themselves to satisfy what are potentially unrealistic or improbable expectations.  

Bias Hides in Training and Development

Opportunities are denied to underrepresented people every day because they are not perceived to be “the best person for the job.” The best people for the job are not born; they’re made. And we are not making them equitably. Best people for the job are made on important projects, with access to strategically important information, coaching and sponsorship, and influential networks. They are made with tools and resources, with encouragement and chances (plural), and faith in their ability to win. Check your “high potential” lists for dimensions of diversity—visible and invisible. Include diverse leaders as mentors or sponsors in training and development efforts to help create safe spaces for all. Make unwritten and unspoken rules of success available to all to make opportunities for advancement more transparent. 

Bias Hides at Happy Hour

Maybe not literally at happy hour, but within our social networks for sure. When you are on a spectrum of difference, you have to work harder to make social connections with the “in” crowd, which usually resembles the majority. When no one is intentionally seeking you out to make a connection, you stay outside. You and your talent are overlooked. You miss the opportunity train, get run over, or fall behind. Disrupt that. Make it a point to connect with people who aren’t like you. Don’t plan informal gatherings at places that are inherently exclusive or where some might feel insecure about their knowledge or skill. Become familiar with new people—who they are and what they can do—so they can be included in your consideration set the next time opportunities arise. 

Bias Hides in Succession Planning

We are all susceptible to bias. Unless we challenge each other during succession planning discussions, we will remain stuck—doing the same thing on behalf of the same people—in perpetuity. Inclusion is not natural for many of us—it requires deliberate interruption. Repeatedly. Until it becomes second nature to ask ourselves and each other “what else?” and “who else?” Slow down. Ask new questions. Look at talent with fresh eyes. Ask who’s not on the high potential list and why. Champion the potential in others and nurture their talent. Role model the way to encourage the same behaviors in others. Our tendency to more easily connect with and trust people who feel familiar to us has a direct impact on who ends up on thefast track and who stagnates. For some, potential is sufficient, and we come alive at the chance to develop that potential. But some must demonstrate their ability and agility until we feel comfortable. THAT is bias. And it’s a trap that leaders—even “nice” ones—fall into, irrevocably harming underrepresented talent.

We can feel helpless to change it. But we’re not.  We can disrupt bias wherever it hides by recognizing it, calling it out—in ourselves, our processes, our systems, and in others—and working intentionally against it.  Not easy, for certain, but simple. We’re here to help.

Together in Waymaking,

Tara Jaye

& The Waymakers Change Group

Tara Jaye Frank is author of The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence and founder of The Waymakers Change Group, a human-centered management consulting firm that supports mid-sized and large companies who seek to transform their employee experience and build capacity to lead all people well.  Our proprietary approach, grounded in behavioral research and decades of inclusive leadership expertise, challenges and equips leaders to unleash the potential of all people, thereby promoting healthy workplace cultures and fueling sustainable businesses. Visit www.twchg.com to learn more.