Breaking Free from Bias E-Book

Marilyn O'Hearne

• Herausgeber: PNP Press
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 134

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Learn how to break free from bias at work. Awareness is not enough!

We all harbor unconscious bias that creates barriers to success.

You may think “not me,” but neuroscience research shows we are all affected.

You can learn how to be part of the solution at work, boosting IMPACT and the bottom line by implementing critical steps. Implementation, this book’s purpose, has been the key missing element to date in breaking free from bias.

Breaking Free from Bias will show you how to:

• Prevent costly complaints, conflict and talent loss

• Improve organizational culture

• Upgrade talent recruitment and retention

• Refine employee experience

• Burst the barriers to advancement and enhance capacity

• Boost the quadruple bottom line (people, planet, profit, purpose) when diversity is leveraged

Leseprobe

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Breaking Free from Bias

Learn how to break free from bias at work. Awareness is not enough!

We all harbor unconscious bias that creates barriers to success.

You may think “not me,” but neuroscience research shows we are all affected.

You can learn how to be part of the solution at work, boosting IMPACT and the bottom line by implementing critical steps. Implementation, this book’s purpose, has been the key missing element to date in breaking free from bias.

Breaking Free from Bias will show you how to:

• Prevent costly complaints, conflict and talent loss

• Improve organizational culture

• Upgrade talent recruitment and retention

• Refine employee experience

• Burst the barriers to advancement and enhance capacity

• Boost the quadruple bottom line (people, planet, profit, purpose) when diversity is leveraged

Breaking Free from Bias

PNP Press

An imprint of Marilyn O'Hearne MSW MCC LLC

http://marilynoh.com

© 2017 by Marilyn O'Hearne

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the author. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

DISCLAIMER No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or transmitted by email without permission in writing from the author. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretations of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slight of any individual or organization is purely unintentional. Names have been changed. Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Cover Design: Susan Krupp

Published 2017

Library of Congress Control Number:  2017941732

Advance Praise for Breaking Free from Bias

“Whether we choose to admit it or not, we all show up in life with our own biases. This is particularly true in the work environment. Bias can impact all of our decisions and can have a detrimental effect on a number of things including corporate culture, productivity, attraction and retention of top talent and profit to name a few. Marilyn’s book Breaking Free from Bias can help you not only recognize your own biases and those you encounter, but provides some great strategies on how to overcome them and still realize the business success that you desire. I highly recommend adding this book to your collection!”

—Cal Misener, author of The Freedom Framework

“Marilyn O’Hearne has very special gifts. Once of them is that she epitomizes the concept of Breaking Free from Bias through her life story and unique experiences which bring so much depth to what she teaches and how she coaches people and organisations. Breaking Free from Bias is a must read for all HR leaders, politicians and those who are interested in expanding awareness on fair decision-making, choice-making and becoming a better human being.”

—Darya Haitoglou, Psychologist & Systemic Relationship Coach (PCC), author of Enrich Your Relationships, former HR Talent Leader at Procter & Gamble Geneva HQ

“You don’t know what you don’t know. Unconscious bias can keep leaders from recognizing great talent and creating an engaging environment for a diverse employee population. This book helps leaders look in the mirror, discover personal bias and develop a plan to break free from these limiting patterns of thought.”

—Bill Schwarz, Director Organizational Development, KCP&L

“Through Breaking Free from Bias, her coaching and her being, Marilyn O'Hearne contributes to the peace so needed today (as well as all people and organizations fulfilling their potential). As a United Nations worker committed to its values, this is a cause close to my heart.”

—Yasser Saad, Head of National Office, Philippines, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

“Marilyn O’Hearne is the right person to learn from about bias. Her experience working with global organizations, teaching cross-cultural communication and coaching global leaders make her a knowledgeable expert in this area. Her book offers the Six Step Coaching IMPACT process as a powerful framework for all levels of organizations to increase the effectiveness of communication, conflict resolution, and risk management."

—Dr. Jane Alstatt, SPHR, PCC, Stakeholder Centered Coach, Adjunct Professor of School of Business, Park University

“This book is a ‘must read’ that demands attention with action! Breaking Free from Bias challenges each of us to examine the naked truth of who we are in our inner belief systems. The intricate details of our ‘unconscious’ affects every area of our lives including our jobs, education, relationships, community involvement, political choices and so much more.”

—Dr. Evelyn Hill, author of Women Under Construction

“Marilyn brings compassion and pragmatic strategies for understanding our own biases and breaking free of them so that we might live a life of conscious choice. I highly recommend you buy this book and share it with your team. Over the past 20 years of coaching leaders and teams, I’ve come to appreciate how being unaware of our biases and how they impact our actions and decisions holds us back from developing authentic relationships.”

—Cynder Niemela, MA, MBA, author, Leading High Impact Teams: The Coach Approach to Peak Performance

“Our decisions and opinions are often twisted by our biases. Whether we know it or not, these biases affect our quality of life, as individuals or as organizations. I recommend the six steps from Marilyn O'Hearne's Breaking Free from Bias as a great starting point for freeing the decision-making process from bias.”

—Edward Mooney, Jr., Ed.D., author of “The Pearls of the Stone Man”

“This timely topic needs attention today, more than ever before! Over many years of ministry in the church and community I have observed how uninformed bias often becomes a prejudice communicated in favor of or against another person or group. I commend Marilyn on taking on this topic and offering a coaching model that can help improve ourselves and our community.”

—Rev. Dr. Clayton L. Smith, Executive Pastor, Generosity and Stewardship, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, co-author of At the Crossroads: Leadership Lessons for the Second Half of Life

"I share Marilyn O'Hearne's belief in our giftedness and the desire to pave the way for all, including organizations, to live up to their potential. Through examples and her 6-step process, she provides a clear path for Breaking Free from Bias to unleash potential and promote peace through decreased conflict.”

—Pat Obuchowski, Founder of Gutsy Women Win and author of Gutsy Women Win: How to Get Gutsy and Get Going

“Marilyn O'Hearne combines her extensive executive coaching experience with insights about multi-cultural competence—specifically our hidden biases and stereotypes. This is a timely and critical area, and Marilyn has shed light on this area with practical solutions. I found her easy to remember acronyms and concepts particularly powerful. For example, the 6-step process for leveraging our response to bias with greater IMPACT:

Identifying bias

Managing bias

Plan to unleash potential

Acting strategically with Awareness and Accountability

Communicating confidently

Taking stock and repeating successes

I wish Marilyn all the best for this book in the hope that it will have a strong and positive impact on reducing bias and stereotyping in the workplace.”

—Debjani Biswas, President: Coachieve, LLC, Inclusion Catalyst, Author: ‘Miserably Successful No More,’ ‘Unleash the Power of Diversity’

“We are aware of the implications of bias in our life. We understand getting free from bias results in more right and impactful decisions. Marilyn has beautifully explained this phenomena in her book Breaking Free from Bias. She has nicely illustrated through real life examples how to identify the biases and then work towards managing them for a more successful and better future.”

—Dilep Misra, Founder DriveGrowth International: providing HR solutions, coaching, consulting and speaking

Dedication

For my parents, John O'Hearne, MD and Lillian O'Hearne, MD, shining examples of Breaking Free from Bias; for my daughters Amelia and Claire, who as a teacher and a pastor understand its urgent importance; for future generations, may they find this process easier and less necessary; and for our Creator who has uniquely gifted each of us.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 - What You Do Not Know May Hurt You

CHAPTER 2 - Breaking Free from Bias for IMPACT

CHAPTER 3 - Identifying Biases for Increased IMPACT

CHAPTER 4 - Managing Bias So It Does Not Manage You

CHAPTER 5 - Unleashing Potential

CHAPTER 6 - Acting on Your Strategic Plan with Awareness And Accountability

CHAPTER 7 - Communicating about Bias to Reduce Costly Conflict

CHAPTER 8 - Take Stock of Your Success and Repeat

CHAPTER 9 - Moving Forward through Courage, Persistence, Partnership

CONCLUSION

FURTHER READING

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

BREAKING FREE FROM BIAS SCORECARD

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Preface

Research shows increasing awareness about bias is not enough. Breaking Free from Bias offers six critical steps to implementation and bottom line IMPACT. You can be part of the solution through identifying and managing biases and correcting their harmful effects, where everyone and every organization can live up their potential.

Each step has a chapter with organizational and sometimes personal examples, including IMPACT questions to guide you in your implementation.

The Introduction: What is bias? (hint: we all have it) Why is it so costly to you and your organization? How will you break free from bias through our approach? To discover your organization’s level of bias, complete the Scorecard at the back of this book, or online at https://marilynoh.com/breaking-free-from-bias-scorecard.

Chapter 1: You hear about one of my clients' discovery of his own bias and how it was impacting his performance. I also reveal why I wrote the book, including my first encounters with bias. You are invited to reflect on your own story.

Chapter 2: Provides a deeper look into an organizational example of bias and the IMPACT of breaking free from bias.

Chapter 3: Identifying Your Biases: You are provided with three tools for identifying unconscious bias for yourself as well as your organization. Step One, the “I” in IMPACT.

Chapter 4: Managing Your Bias So It Does Not Manage You! You discover ways of managing your bias particularly as it relates to hiring and managing cultural differences. Step Two, the “M” in IMPACT.

Chapter 5: Planning How to Unleash Potential: Analysis of your situation with ACHE, my intercultural approach, then applying it to recruiting, developing and promoting talent including at the board level. A treasure hunt. ACHE stands for Awareness, Curiosity, Humility, Empathy. Step Three, the “P” in IMPACT.

Chapter 6: Acting on Your Strategic Plan with Awareness and Accountability: How to act strategically with awareness through feedback as well as building in accountability. You are also introduced to a model for challenging conversations. Step Four, the “A” in IMPACT.

Chapter 7: Communicating Confidently about Bias to Reduce Costly Conflict: How to obtain organizational buy-in for breaking free from bias, how to call out bias with care, what to listen for (including nonverbals) and how cultural communication differences can trigger bias (and what to do about it) are covered. Step Five, the “C” in IMPACT.

Chapter 8: Taking Stock of Your Success and Repeating It: Repeat the Breaking Free from Bias scorecard you took at the beginning to see your progress and what you want to continue. Step Six, the “T” in IMPACT.

Chapter 9 offers guidance about how to move forward with courage, persistence and partnership.

For Breaking Free from Bias updates and resources including your free toolkit, sign up at https://marilynoh.com/breaking-free-from-bias.

This book—and my programs—benefit from the contributions of clients and colleagues who have shared their unique personal experiences as well as given me feedback and challenged my perspectives. This is not an easy topic to confront alone, and the support of an experienced coach can elicit awareness and the completion of implementation steps that may not be possible on your own. Congratulations on your courage in choosing to become more aware of your own bias as well as that in your organization.

While I speak, write, coach and train on this big, deep topic, I am continually on the path to further awareness. Thank you for joining me.

Introduction

“What we hear and see through the filter of bias becomes our truth, while planting the seeds of conflict.”

—Charles F. Glassman, Brain Drain: The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life

“Misaki is not speaking up in our team meetings,” complains Joe in your leadership meeting. “With her lack of contribution, I am not sure our investment in her is paying off.”

Pat is disappointed by Joe’s remark. He considered his decision to hire the bright young woman from Japan to have been a Breaking Free from Bias move, and sees her as doing good work. Clearly Joe does not understand that Misaki was acting in the way she was culturally taught to be respectful: to wait until called on to speak and to defer to those with greater authority. Unaware of Misaki’s cultural training, Joe unconsciously translated her not speaking up as failing to contribute.

Joe’s unconscious bias plays out further when he chooses not to give her assignments in which she can develop and contribute and, ultimately, earn a promotion—all because he has labeled her as a non-contributor. Misaki is confused and hurt when despite her hard work she sees Joe giving choice assignments to as well as promoting others with less experience. Pat, a millennial who is also fairly new to the organization, sees Joe’s bias but is unsure what to do about it given his rank. Without their organization’s leadership implementing the six IMPACT steps in Breaking Free from Bias, Misaki might consider leaving—causing the organization to suffer the loss of her expertise, not to mention the cost of replacing her. If this occurs, Misaki, Joe, Pat, and the organization would all be hurt by the effects of bias. Pat also becomes a talent loss risk.

What IS Bias?

First, what is unconscious bias? Bias is an inclination or prejudice in favor or against something, someone or a group, usually considered unfair. Unconscious or implicit bias happens out of our awareness. Neuroscience shows our brains are bombarded with up to 11 million bits of information and can only process 40 bits of information per moment (M. Zimmermann, Neurophysiology of Sensory Systems, as referred to in Google’s Unconscious Bias Training). The remaining 10 million plus bits of information get unconsciously slotted into thousands of different categories, influenced by our background, cultural environment, and personal experience. This unconscious slotting forms unconscious bias. Thus unconscious bias happens automatically and is triggered by our brains making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations. We all have unconscious bias.

Because we all experience unconscious bias, there is no reason to experience shame. However, we each, as individuals and organizations, have a responsibility to identify and update our biases to prevent and correct their harmful effects. By doing so, we can create a more prosperous organization and peaceful world where everyone can fulfill their potential.

Joe’s bias toward Misaki, stemming from his cultural background and his lack of understanding of hers, is an example of harmful unconscious bias. Other employees begin to notice a trend and complain that Joe is not promoting employees of different ethnicities. Trust plummets, affecting the culture and employee experience.

At Pat’s professional organization meeting later that week, a colleague tells him, “Pat, I heard your organization is having a hard time recruiting and retaining young talent, especially women and people of different ethnicities.” Ouch! Pat had heard of other millennial complaints of not being promoted quickly enough, but he had not realized his organization was taking on that reputation. Unconscious bias