Recognizing and Mitigating Bias

Often, it’s easy to “call out” people when we notice their microaggressions or biased behaviors. But it can be equally challenging to recognize and acknowledge our own unconscious biases. That said, becoming aware of your shortcomings can help you hone your leadership style, especially when you’re a new manager. The first step is to acknowledge that you have biases and educate yourself to do better. Ask yourself: Do I hold stereotypes or assumptions about a particular social group? As a manager, do I acknowledge and leverage differences on my team? Use your answers to help you unlearn your unconscious assumptions. When someone calls out your unconscious biases, try not to get defensive. Rather, assume positive intent and use their feedback as an opportunity to learn. Reach out to a diverse group of peers to understand how they perceive you, and seek continuous feedback. These peers can also become “accountability buddies” who help you stay on track when you decide to change your behaviors. Embrace diverse perspectives. If your close circle “looks” just like you, it’s time to build a more diverse network. Join an employee resource group or look to connect with colleagues whose backgrounds are different than your own.close. #diversity #equity #inclusion #belonging

I recently led a workshop with senior leaders on unconscious bias, one of the most subtle yet impactful forces shaping workplaces today. Here are some key, thought-provoking takeaways: Talent Pipeline: - Bias in "fit" over potential– We often seek candidates who feel like a "good fit," but this focus on familiarity limits diversity of thought and experience. By sticking with what feels comfortable, we may be missing out on the very perspectives that can push our business forward. - Meritocracy myths– Many of us believe we’re creating a merit-based environment, but unconscious bias can lead us to underestimate talent that doesn't mirror our own journey or leadership style. Thought: Could the future leaders of your organization be getting overlooked because they don't fit the traditional mold? What opportunities are we missing by favoring comfort over potential? Performance management - Critical vs. nurturing feedback– Studies show men often receive feedback that highlights their potential, while women and minorities are judged more on their current performance. This can lead to a self-fulfilling cycle where some are groomed for leadership, while others are held back. - Bias in “leadership traits”– We tend to associate leadership with traditionally masculine traits like decisiveness and assertiveness, while underappreciating qualities like empathy and collaboration. This limits the development of diverse leadership styles and stifles more inclusive forms of leadership. Thought: Are we unconsciously reinforcing outdated ideas of leadership that prevent diverse talent from rising? What if the traits we’re overlooking are exactly what the future of leadership needs? Bias as a leadership challenge Unconscious bias isn’t just an HR issue—it’s a leadership challenge that permeates every level of decision-making: - Awareness isn’t enough– Simply recognising our biases isn’t sufficient. We need strategies that actively challenge our instincts and foster fairer, more inclusive decision-making. - Courageous conversations– Creating an environment where it’s safe to talk about bias isn’t easy, but it’s essential. These discussions help us redefine how we view leadership, success, and talent. Addressing unconscious bias isn't a one-time fix—it's an ongoing commitment to redefining how we lead and make decisions. By fostering a culture that actively challenges bias, we don't just create a more inclusive workplace—we build a stronger, more innovative organization. The real challenge is: Are we willing to do the hard work to make it happen? #leadership #highperformance #DEI #inclusion

⚠️ Warning: Don’t follow the OpenAI prompting advice released yesterday unless you want biased outputs that reinforce gaps between your students. Yesterday, OpenAI released a K12 prompting guide (in comments). It scaffolded ‘okay’, ‘good’ and ‘great’ prompts, and celebrated the success of those labelled as “great”. But there’s nothing to celebrate here. In fact, there’s more to fear. Many of the “great” examples rely on asking GenAI to produce 'engaging activities'. That sounds harmless. But when left open, the word “engaging” brings in all kinds of bias from the training data. Take this example prompt from the guide: “Create a lesson plan for a high school history class on World War II. Include an engaging activity, discussion questions, and suggestions for multimedia resources. Tailor the content for students with a basic understanding of 20th-century history.” The outputs this kind of prompt generates often favour dominant norms: here Western-Centric, neurotypical, gender under-representation, privileged. Thousands of teachers, lecturers and teacher educators are working every day to narrow these gaps in attainment. But vague prompts like “make it engaging” can quietly widen them, unless we know how to guide these tools with care. In my research on physics outputs from GenAI, I’ve started to categorise how this bias appears. It shows in how explanations are framed, who is represented, and which learners are centred. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a series that explores ten common forms of bias in GenAI lesson outputs, and how we can mitigate against them through more intentional prompting. The topics are: ➡️ Accessibility Bias ➡️ Cognitive Style Bias ➡️ Modality Bias ➡️ Cultural Bias and Western-Centric Defaults ➡️ Identity-Neutral Design ➡️ Participation Bias ➡️ Home Context and Privilege Assumptions ➡️ Gender Bias and Role Stereotypes ➡️ Neurodiversity Bias ➡️ Teacher-Centric Power Dynamics These patterns affect more than just content. They shape who feels seen, supported and challenged in the learning process. ⬇️ Check out my simple analysis of bias in OpenAI's recommended 'great' prompt - link in comments. If you have examples, experiences or questions, please drop them in the comments or message me directly, so we can build this set of mitigations together as educators.

The 'Unbiasing Champion' Chronicles It's "people discussions" season at Google, and that means performance reviews and promotions are in full swing. But before we dive into the nitty-gritty, we kick off each session with a critical role: the Unbiasing Champion. And guess who usually gets to wear that hat? This gal! (No cape, sadly. Maybe next year? 😉) I take this responsibility seriously. It's about reminding everyone of those sneaky unconscious biases that can creep into evaluations. We talk about things like the "halo effect" (loving someone's work so much you overlook their areas for growth) or the "affinity bias" (favoring those who are similar to us). Throughout the session, we're all encouraged to call out any potential bias, ensuring we create an equitable playing field for everyone! Now, like many of you, I've been diving headfirst into the world of AI lately. And it's got me thinking: just as we train our AI models to be unbiased, we should be putting just as much effort into training ourselves! We're constantly bombarded with information and stereotypes that shape our perceptions. These unconscious biases can influence our decisions, even when we have the best intentions. The good news is that we can learn to recognize and challenge these biases. By being mindful of our thoughts and actions, seeking out diverse perspectives, and holding each other accountable, we can create a more fair and inclusive workplace for everyone. And that starts with training ourselves to be just as unbiased as the AI systems we aim to create. What are your thoughts on unconscious bias and its impact on the workplace? Share your insights in the comments! 👇 #BiasBusting #TechLeadership #lifeAtGoogle

Are you tired of diversity and inclusion conversations that don't lead to real change? Think about your typical team meeting or strategy session. Do all voices genuinely feel valued, or do some perspectives get lost in the noise? I loved the perspective Anu Gupta shared in our recent conversation on the Partnering Leadership podcast: Addressing bias isn't just about diversity initiatives—it's about recognizing the hidden stories we tell ourselves, often unconsciously, that shape our decisions. 💡 Here are three key insights from Anu, author of Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From—and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them, that stood out to me: 1. 🧠 Bias is About Stories, Not Labels    Bias isn't just about race or gender—it's shaped by the assumptions we make based on incomplete stories. These stories can limit how we see potential and prevent us from making the best decisions. Start by challenging these assumptions and looking beyond the surface. How often do leaders miss out on great ideas because they don't recognize the hidden biases shaping their decisions? 2. 🧘 Mindfulness Can Rewire Our Thinking      Anu Gupta's PRISM toolkit combines neuroscience and mindfulness to help leaders become aware of automatic assumptions and make more intentional choices. It's about practicing awareness daily to build stronger, more connected teams. Research shows that teams practicing mindfulness have 20% higher engagement rates. I've seen leaders who adopt these practices foster stronger team alignment and creativity. 3. 💞 Focus on Empathy, Not Guilt      Many efforts to address bias fail because they focus on guilt or blame. Anu suggests starting with empathy. Everyone knows what it feels like to be misunderstood—use that shared experience to create a space where everyone feels seen and valued. As Anu Gupta says, "Bias is not a problem we solve with policy—it's a practice of empathy we must build daily." In my work with organizations, I've seen firsthand how these insights can reduce costly miscommunications, unlock hidden talent, and drive better strategic outcomes. It's not just about talking the talk; It's about implementing fundamental, measurable changes that make a difference. 🗣 What's one thing you can do to create an environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their best? #partneringleadership #leadership Strategic Leadership Ventures #DEI #collaboration #culture #strategy #management #empathy

Unconscious bias: We all have it—but we don’t have to let it shape who we hire.   I’ve recently started Diversity in Recruitment training with the brilliant Jo Major (She/her), a 6-week course focused on inclusive, accessible, and equitable hiring. The training offers practical tools and insights to help embed DE&I into recruitment, giving me a clear, actionable approach. It will also help me support clients who want to review their recruitment process to ensure it’s truly inclusive and equitable.   Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing key learnings from the sessions, starting with bias in hiring.   Bias isn’t always obvious. It’s in the small moments—who we connect with, who we think will ‘fit in,’ or whose voice we hear most in a meeting.   Here are five things to think about when it comes to bias: ✔️ Everyone has bias – what matters is how we manage it. Recognising it is the first step to making better, fairer decisions. ✔️ It affects hiring, often without us realising. Structured processes help keep things fair. ✔️ Small, everyday actions can reinforce (or challenge) bias. Inclusion isn’t just a policy—it’s in the culture we create. ✔️ Diversity doesn’t happen by chance—it takes effort. Intentional hiring and workplace practices make the difference. ✔️ It’s an ongoing process—keep questioning your decisions. Self-awareness isn’t a one-time exercise. A more inclusive workplace doesn’t just ‘happen’—it’s built by people who commit to making fair, conscious choices. What are you doing to help your business tackle bias in hiring? #HR #Recruitment #Diversity #UnconsciousBias #Inclusion #equity

This morning, while grabbing breakfast at the Capitol Hill Hotel in D.C. for the NASB Advocacy Conference, I was mistaken for hotel staff by a table of white attendees. They looked at me—dressed in business attire, clearly not in uniform—and asked, “Uh, do we get these, or are you going to get it for us?” Their assumptions weren’t about confusion; they were about bias. And this is exactly why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work is not optional—it’s necessary. DEI isn’t about “checking a box.” It’s about confronting the implicit biases that dictate who belongs where and challenging the systemic racism that still shapes everyday interactions. The irony? I’m here in D.C. advocating for Omaha Public Schools, fighting for policies that ensure ALL students—regardless of race—have access to opportunities and an equitable future. Where Does Authentic Allyship Come In? Incidents like this don’t just happen to Black professionals; they happen to people of color, women in leadership, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups every single day. True allyship means recognizing these biases before they shape interactions. It means speaking up in the moment, calling out injustice, and actively working to ensure that every person is seen for who they are—not for what someone assumes about them. So here’s my challenge to fellow leaders: ✅ Examine your biases—and don’t dismiss “microaggressions” as minor. They add up. ✅ Speak up when you witness these moments. If I had been an early-career professional, how might that moment have impacted my confidence? ✅ Advocate for DEI policies in workplaces, schools, and organizations—because when we remove those efforts, we’re not erasing bias; we’re allowing it to thrive unchecked. The work is necessary. The fight continues. Who’s showing up as an ally today? #AuthenticAllyship #DEIMatters #EquityInEducation #Leadership #BiasInAction

"I’m Not Biased!" 💡 Bias isn’t about bad intentions; it’s about unexamined patterns. The more I work with teams struggling to collaborate, the one truth becomes clear: many people believe they aren’t biased. When I first trained a team struggling with unconscious bias, they were adamant: “We treat everyone the same!” But their actions told a different story—voices being ignored, assumptions being made, and creativity stifled. The real turning point came when they acknowledged the problem. Bias isn’t about bad intentions; it’s about unseen patterns. If you want your team to thrive, start by addressing those patterns: ✅ Awareness → Identify blind spots and have honest conversations. ✅ Accountability → Focus on actions, not blame, to drive change. ✅ Actionable Steps → Implement small shifts that create a big impact over time. Breaking Bias: 5 Transformative Shifts 1/ “I don’t see bias here.” Acknowledge it. Awareness is the first step to change. 2/ Avoiding tough conversations. Speak up—silence reinforces bias. 3/ “This is how we’ve always done it.” Challenge outdated norms that limit inclusion. 4/ Only hearing the loudest voices. Actively create space for underrepresented perspectives. 5/ Fearing discomfort. Growth comes from leaning into difficult truths. 💡 Here’s the truth: Inclusion isn’t just a checkbox—it’s a mindset. With consistent effort, your team can move from division to unity, from hesitation to collaboration. 💬 What’s one bias you’ve seen or experienced at work? Let’s start the conversation below. #Leadership #Inclusion #TeamGrowth #UnconsciousBias #WorkplaceCulture #jyotidadlani #cerebrovocationalplanet #DEI

💡 As an ally, loved being part of the insightful roundtable session by AnitaB.org last week on the topic "𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐈: 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲." One of the most pressing topics we explored was the concern over 𝒃𝒊𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝑰. 𝑨𝑰 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒊𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 - The bias we observe in AI stems from the 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 on which these systems are trained. When AI models learn from historical or imbalanced datasets that reflect societal prejudices, they inadvertently carry forward these biases in their outputs. 🔄 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦—𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐬. 🔍 While some suggest mitigating bias by introducing 𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂, we've seen recent incidents where this approach has 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚, creating more challenges than solved. Using artificially generated datasets is not a reliable solution. ❌ ✅ The true way to combat AI bias is by 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆, 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍-𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 that represents a broad spectrum of perspectives and experiences. AI models need to be trained on 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔 that mirror the diversity of society as a whole. This ensures that the outcomes are both 𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 and 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆. There are also a few techniques that we can explore from a technical aspect to reduce this bias: 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬: 1. 𝑹𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔: L1, L2, dropout, and early stopping to prevent overfitting. 2. 𝑬𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒅𝒔: Combine multiple models to reduce individual biases. 3. 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: Use pre-trained models and fine-tune on unbiased data. 4. 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: Train models to resist adversarial attacks 🤖 To build 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒓 𝑨𝑰 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔, we ought to focus on addressing biases at the 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 and strive for 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 in how we design and deploy AI. #EthicalAI #BiasInAI #DiversityInTech #WomenInTech #AIandSociety #Gracehopper #AnitaB #WomenShapingAI #LeadershipInTech #FairAI