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The Leader's Guide to Unconscious Bias
by Pamela Fuller & Mark Murphy with Anne Chow
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The Leader's Guide to Unconscious Bias

How To Reframe Bias, Cultivate Connection, and Create High-Performing Teams

By Pamela Fuller & Mark Murphy with Anne Chow

Category: Management & Leadership | Reading Duration: 20 min | Rating: 4.3/5 (210 ratings)

About the Book

The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias (2020) is a guide to unconscious bias at work: how to identify it, and what to do about it. Leaders and managers have a particular responsibility to ensure unconscious bias doesn’t harm the careers of their team members.

Who Should Read This?

  • Workplace leaders who want to take good care of their teams
  • Workers curious about how unconscious bias affects them
  • People looking to deepen their understanding of bias

What’s in it for me? Learn how to move beyond unconscious bias.

We all have preferences in life: we like some things more than others, we have certain hobbies, we like spending our time with certain people. That’s just normal – it’s human.But our preferences and personal characteristics can become problematic if they turn into biases – especially in a professional context – because biases can seriously affect other people’s careers.You’re probably conscious of some biases you hold – like, perhaps, the familiar idea that good salespeople are always extroverts (which, by the way, isn’t actually true). But biases are often particularly tricky to deal with when they’re unconscious – when people don’t even realize they think a certain way.That’s why we end up with workplaces in which people with strong accents are paid an average of 20 percent less, a majority of leading CEOs are over six feet tall, and there’s a correlation between professional success and the lightness of your skin.In this Blink to The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias, we’re not going to talk about whether or not unconscious bias exists: it does. And we’re not going to plow through a list of examples of it, either.Instead, we’re going to talk about taking action. We all have unconscious biases, and we’ve all been at the butt of other people’s, too. So we’ll go over a strategy for dealing with them.The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias is primarily for people in leadership positions at work, who manage teams of people, and that’s reflected in this Blink. But unconscious bias is everywhere – and the issues under discussion are relevant to everyone. So you might well get something out of it even if you don’t manage people.In this Blink, you’ll learn - how our backgrounds inform our biases;

  • how to connect with people so bias is less of a problem; and
  • what to do when you see unconscious bias in action.

Chapter 1: Move on from your biases by identifying their origin stories.

To start with, let’s talk about you.We’re going to walk you through an exercise – so if you can, it might be helpful to hit pause a few times during this chapter, to give yourself some thinking time. If you can grab a pen and paper, even better. Here’s the first question. Who are you? Try to come up with five “I am” statements – ten if you have time and can write them down. I’m Hispanic, I’m male, I’m really into tennis – whatever comes to mind. Ready? Great. Now, ask yourself: which of those characteristics might cause you to feel biased – either positively or negatively – toward other people? Say you’re a fitness freak – do you tend to judge people who don’t take care of their body? Mark each of those characteristics – in your mind or on paper – with an X.Second question: which of the characteristics might make others biased toward you? If you’re Black, for example, you might very well have experienced racism. Put an O by those characteristics. Some characteristics will likely have both Xs and Os – maybe even all of them.Look at your list again. Think about the biases they could cause. How do these potential biases affect you? Do they get in the way of your goals? Do they make you act in a certain way? Last step. Look at each of your statements with an X – the ones that might cause you to be biased. Where do you think this potential bias comes from? From your upbringing? From the media or society more generally? From something specific in your personal history or education? Or just some aspect of your personality? We all have biases – lots of them. They’re tied up with our identity: who we are affects how we feel about certain issues, and hence how we think of other people. So the first step in understanding our own biases, whether they’re conscious or unconscious, is to understand ourselves.In other words, every bias has what you might call an origin story, and to move beyond that bias, it helps to understand that story.Here’s an example. One of the authors, Pamela, used to favor job applicants with prestigious degrees. Eventually, she realized there was a very personal reason why: simply put, it was her background. Coming from a family of immigrants that valued education highly, she’d always placed high-level education on a pedestal.Of course, the reality is that this isn’t the only indicator of capability: you need to look way beyond education on a résumé. But now Pamela realizes she holds this bias, she’s a lot more sensitive to this when she’s recruiting.

Chapter 2: The first step in tackling your unconscious bias is to identify your biases.

Before we go on, a quick word about how the next few chapters are going to be structured.According to the coaching company FranklinCovey, where two of the authors work, there’s a four-step model for how to tackle unconscious bias. Step 1 is to Identify Bias, step 2 is to Cultivate Connection – in other words, reach out to other people – and step 3 is to Choose Courage, which is how you make progress. The final step is to apply this system across what they call the Talent Lifecycle – that is, the entirety of a career. So, we’ll look at these steps in separate chapters.By doing the exercise in the first chapter, you’re now well on the way with step 1: Identify Bias. You’ve already started thinking about the biases that you hold yourself, as well as those that other people may have projected onto you.But there’s another point to consider as well, which is less to do with the biases themselves, and more about when they materialize – especially at work.For instance, at work, it’s normal to feel overloaded with information or to need to make decisions fast. That sort of pressure can cause a few different forms of bias. One example is confirmation bias – our tendency to look for information that confirms what we already believe rather than seeking out challenging data or opinions. Anchoring bias is a related form of bias in which we just cling to the first idea we hear, so don’t properly take in any subsequent information.Then there’s attribution bias. Say you make a mistake, but your intentions were good – that’s OK, right? At least you meant well. But what if someone else did the same thing? Aha, you might think: evidence that they’re disorganized or not to be trusted. If you’re judging yourself by your intentions but others by their results, that’s attribution bias.One more. In-group bias is something we’re likely all familiar with: it’s the tendency to prefer people who are like us, while leaving others out. For example, if you get to pick a team at work and you want to pick a bunch of people with similar values and backgrounds to your own.And remember: any of these types of bias can prompt any of the biases you listed in the first exercise – or indeed any of the other biases you likely hold – to rear up and affect your decision-making.

Chapter 3: The second step in tackling your unconscious bias is to Cultivate Connection.

So you’ve heard about how to identify your own biases, as well as the times at work in which they will likely make an appearance. But the big questions are: What can you do about it? And, How can you prevent bias from becoming a problem?You have to move to the second step of the four-step model for how to tackle unconscious bias: cultivate connection.Here’s an example based on an incident that Pamela experienced herself. She had two candidates to interview for a job. Going to meet the first candidate in the lobby, Pamela overheard a quiet cell phone conversation the candidate was having about math homework. A parent herself, Pamela could easily relate. So, as they made their way to the interview room, they chatted about juggling work and parenthood.In the interview, the candidate hesitated over the first question. Pamela smiled and reassured her there was nothing to worry about, and the candidate found her feet and performed well.The second interview was a different story. Pamela spotted an expensive-looking watch on the second candidate’s wrist, which seemed odd to her, as it wasn’t a senior position. They politely made their way to the interview room together, and Pamela asked him the same set of questions. But when he stumbled, she took it as evidence that he wasn’t prepared.Which was the better candidate, do you think?The simple answer is that there’s no way to tell from the information you’ve just heard.It’s far too easy to be swayed by thinking about issues like “fit” when you’re recruiting. Much too often, that just means you end up recruiting people like you. In this instance, of course, the first candidate.If you want to move beyond your biases, though, you need to deploy skills like curiosity and empathy when you deal with potential hires – and, of course, your colleagues. Pamela didn’t display enough curiosity about the second candidate. Perhaps if she’d done so, they’d have found a shared point of connection and got on really well. And perhaps his different life experience would have added a valuable new perspective to the team.Curiosity and empathy are just two ways to cultivate connection with the people around you. Another is to make sure that your organization understands the power of networks. Opportunities like mentorship and coaching are a vital way to make sure everyone in your team is properly supported.

Chapter 4: The third step in tackling your unconscious bias is to Choose Courage.

So, we’ve gone through identifying bias and how to lower the likelihood of it materializing in the first place. But what about when it does happen?That’s where step 3 of dealing with unconscious bias comes in: it’s all about tackling the damage that bias can do, head-on, and it’s simply called choose courage.First of all, it takes courage to properly understand when you are biased. Especially when emotions are running high at work, it takes real courage – but it’s crucial – to be able to pause, breathe deeply, and ask yourself: What am I thinking and feeling here? Am I acting sensibly, or am I being reactive?It also takes courage to cope when you are the one on the receiving end of bias. Here’s a scenario: Imagine you’re nearing retirement age and are managed by someone much younger than you. You are very technologically able and develop apps as a hobby – but when the company needs to develop an app, your manager overlooks you in favor of someone younger, purely because of their age.Needless to say, that’s an example of an ageism bias – and even if this case study doesn’t feel directly applicable to you, it’s a good one to think through to help with your empathy skills.So what do you do if you go through a situation like that? One great reaction is to harness the power of community. Find people within your organization who can relate to your experience and talk to them. We’ll talk more about employee-resource groups in the next chapter. Specifically, find someone who can counterbalance the bias you’ve just experienced – someone who can help you work through the stress of dealing with bias.Also, because of how stressful it is to experience bias, it’s vital to prioritize self-care. That can be as small a gesture as taking a walk or having a coffee, or planning something nice for the weekend. It’s more important than it sounds.And of course, you can respond to the bias you’ve experienced, too. In our ageism example, by talking to your younger manager about how the decision impacted you.But take care not to do this hastily. Be strategic. What do you actually hope to achieve? What’s the most constructive thing you can do to accomplish that? Is this the best time to speak up?It always takes courage to speak out – as you’ll discover in the next chapter. But, usually, it’s well worth doing.

Chapter 5: Be courageous for other people, too. Be an ally.

As well as courage to speak out about biases you’ve experienced yourself, it’s also courageous to speak out on behalf of other people. In other words, to be an ally.Although we all have our own biases, and all experience the biases of others too, we also all enjoy some form of privilege. Whether that privilege is based on race, gender, or holding a good degree or a senior position at work, some aspects of ourselves are bound to put us in a better position than some of our colleagues.And what that means is, when you see others fall victim to biases – even when you’re OK yourself – the responsible thing to do is to be an ally and get involved.Here’s an example. Say your government organization is launching a project to benefit a deprived urban area and they’re talking to you about what team to put together. They want Keisha, who you happen to know is much more interested in other policy areas. But management tells you that she will fit right in with this project. Oh yeah, and she’s the only Black member of staff.Dealing with a situation like that requires you to be proactive and call out the bias you’ve seen rather than passively accepting that that’s what senior management wants. And, if news of this ends up traveling back to Keisha, it’s also vital to offer her support. Let her know that she’s working in a safe space where she can express herself to you.Allyship requires ongoing work, as well. It isn’t only isolated to particular incidents. Employee-resource groups are a great way to foster an environment in which employees can support each other through mentorship and coaching, and you should consider trying to set some up. These groups, and the related affinity groups, which are more like social, shared-interest clubs, and business-resource groups, which focus on a specific work-related question, are all about making sure that a diverse range of employees all have access to the same opportunities.Groups like these typically focus specifically on a group that shares a perspective – for example, a group for women or LGBTQ+ community members. But they needn’t be exclusive to those groups: allies should be welcome too. In fact, that should be encouraged. They’re a great way for allies to increase their awareness and combat any biases they may have.

Chapter 6: The final step in tackling your unconscious bias is to apply the first three steps across the Talent Lifecycle.

Right. We’ve been through the first three steps involved in tackling unconscious bias: identifying bias, which speaks for itself; cultivating connection, so you’re properly talking to other people; and choosing courage, which means taking proactive steps to combat bias either before or after it arises.The final step is kind of like saying, “And repeat.” It’s to make sure that action against bias is taken at all stages across the Talent Lifecycle.What is the Talent Lifecycle? It’s the entire process of a career at a company, beginning with recruitment and stretching through employment, career development, and promotions. Unconscious bias has the potential to derail every step along that journey, which is why it’s vital to think about this.Let’s start with the recruitment process. Where do you advertise? Simply by placing job adverts in certain places but not others, you’re likely limiting the pool of applicants in some unexpectedly biased ways. And if your job description is scattered with sports-related or gendered terms like “heavy hitter” or “rockstar,” you’re likely not being as inclusive as you think you are, but rather encouraging only applicants who fit a certain profile. Then, there’s interviewing – a process that can easily be swayed by bias – make sure you have a diverse panel.One issue that affects hiring and an employee’s subsequent journey within an organization is pay. Pay gaps relating to gender and race are well-known, so this is a case where you simply have to be direct about things. Make sure there’s a pay audit in your organization and that everyone is being compensated fairly. This includes letting all new hires negotiate their pay in the first place: research has shown that interviewers often display an unconscious bias toward inviting men to negotiate their pay, but neglecting to offer the same opportunity to women.During employment, don’t forget about employee-resource groups, which you’ve already heard about – these are a great way to foster inclusion. But of course, that’s not enough to ensure that all employees have the same opportunities going forward. Keep communication lines open, and offer new opportunities not just to a favored few but to everyone.Think about succession planning too: Who would you ideally want to move up the ladder? Be sure the mechanisms are in place for them to do so. And, of course, choose people who’ll help ensure the diversity of the team and the variety of opinions being heard. Don’t just pick your favorites.

Final summary

The most important thing to take away from all this is:Everyone holds their own set of conscious and unconscious biases, and these inevitably affect how you treat people at work – as well as how you’re treated yourself. The first step in overcoming the negative effect of these biases is identifying them and understanding where they came from. Then, you need to reach out and cultivate connections with others. Choose to be courageous enough to call out bias when you see it.And here’s some more actionable advice:Find the biases in your daily workflow.This is a great way to start to notice what sorts of biases may exist in your team. Think about everything that happens day-to-day – how different members of the team contribute and interact, and the work that results from it all. Make a list of all the possible biases that might be going on during that process and brainstorm ways to combat each of them. How can you and your team be courageous enough to tackle the problems?

About the Author

Pamela Fuller works at FranklinCovey, a leadership company, where she’s chief thought leader on inclusion and bias. She’s previously worked as a diversity analyst at the US Department of Defense. The other two authors are Mark Murphy and Anne Chow: Mark is a senior consultant at FranklinCovey, and Anne is CEO of AT&T Business – the first woman of color CEO in the company’s history.