Dear Sophia,
I have a couple of female team members who never question decisions of males in our organization, but always question my (female) decisions. It wouldn't be productive to just say "I see bias showing up", so what can I say or do that may help others see where bias is showing up? And, how can I check myself on how I'm responding to female colleagues myself? We should be supporting each other and helping each other with growth, but how to do that when it comes to bias?
Sincerely,
Ready to Tackle Bias
Dear Ready to Tackle Bias,
It’s great that you are paying attention to bias, both in others and yourself. Willingness to learn and grow is the first step to reducing bias in the workplace and elsewhere. This sounds like a great opportunity for an office-wide training!
Calling out bias when you see it is an important step, but can be uncomfortable and may not be well-received. I’d recommend bringing up the idea of a bias training program in your next staff meeting. You could say something like this: “I have been learning about gender bias and implicit bias and think it would be great if we all did a training! It’s important to me to improve in this area, and I think it could benefit all of us if we did it.” Then you can suggest a few options. There are many resources out there, both free and paid. Here are a few good free options that I like:
These can be completed individually, but there are options to work through topics as groups, or hold a facilitated group session depending on what works for your office.
Once you and your colleagues have completed a training (or two), you will have the tools to both recognize bias and know how best to call it out when you see it.
Confidentially Yours,
Sophia
P.S. Now that I’ve shared my thoughts, I’m curious what the amazing community of educators reading this post has to say. Chime in, folks! What thoughts do you have for Ready to Tackle Bias? Share your thoughts on the Global Leadership League’s LinkedIn page.
Please note: This response is provided for informational purposes only. The information contained herein is not legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for the legal advice or legal opinions of a licensed professional. Contact a personal attorney or licensed professional to obtain appropriate legal advice or professional counseling with respect to any particular issue or problem.
