The Tyranny of Unconscious Bias

Developing your empathy to look at the others through their own lens is the first step

Unconscious biases are our unintentional people preferences. Social psychologists and neuroscientists tell us that our unconscious mind automatically, rapidly, intuitively and effortlessly categorises people.

We have therefore an inclination to prefer people who are similar to us on the basis of a wide range of characteristics including; social or career background, gender, accent, education, ethnicity, age, hobbies and interests etc.

When someone you work with annoys you, it’s tempting to avoid the person as much as possible. But this isn’t always feasible and often only makes the situation worse. You’re better off cultivating some empathy. How can you do that with a colleague who rubs you the wrong way? How can you foster curiosity instead of animosity? And what for making matters worse, its your own boss? This happened to a pro-bono client of mine recently.

Having had to fight my own judgemental demons, I came across a few readings that I believe would be quite useful for us all in those challenging time, when we need to be “together to win”.

I would encourage you to read the two following articles and reach out if you would like to discuss further with me.

~ How to develop empathy for someone who annoys you ~

~ How to become a less biased version of yourself ~

< Older Post

Newer Post >