2018 Ubuntu Global. Permission granted to re-print for personal use only. Not to be reproduced in workbooks, on websites or any other digital formats

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1 2018 Ubuntu Global. Permission granted to re-print for personal use only. Not to be reproduced in workbooks, on websites or any other digital formats without written permission from Lenora Billings-Harris. ;

2 Mitigating Bias Tip Sheet Sourcing: Identify routine sourcing funnels and evaluate why they are used--- convenient? Alma mater? Strength of education or experience of candidates? Identify non-traditional sourcing to find the same/similar transferable skills and abilities. Look for talent that adds to diversity of thought and skills instead of just maintaining the status quo. Interviews: Review and define the job and skills required to do the job. Be consistent - ask all candidates the same questions, in the same order. Measure candidates against the job requirements and not one another. Prime yourself before the interview- Remind yourself of your own possible biases e.g. height/handshake/accent/name/educational level/university/likability/common interests/age/gender identity/sexual orientation/size/personality styles etc. Identify assumptions you might be making about this person? Gather additional information to test my assumptions. Hiring teams should meet live after interviews to discuss the candidates and come to a group decision. Do not simply accept rating numbers. Ask interviewers why candidates were given the rating they received. Teamwork: (Encourage diversity of thought) Encourage all members to share their thoughts. Assume there are questions- Ask, What questions do you have? Do not share your ideas first. Allow others to lead the discussion. Be a mentor/coach for people different than yourself. Consider who beyond your favorites could be a best fit for the project or task at hand. Evaluations and Calibrations: Provide feedback frequently and consistently. Discuss with raters the meanings of the metrics. Require written narratives & dialogues. Prime yourself against recency bias. Look for and question statements that potentially reflect biased attitudes or beliefs about the ratee. Provide & support mentoring training; track and evaluate mentoring results. Leadership Accountability & Decision-Making: Challenge organizational cultural norms and patterns to achieve better equity and balance. Seek to develop talent by assigning projects as growth opportunities. Prime yourself before making major decisions to uncover possible biased patterns. Evaluate your process for recognizing and rewarding talent. Identify people who annoy you and analyze why. They might remind you of someone in your background, and now you are projecting your bias onto them. Add inclusion and engagement process to your meeting agenda to discuss at the end of meetings- listen and explore ways to improve.

3 Diversity Inclusion Quotient What is your current level of cultural competency? Complete the following assessment as honestly as possible. Respond based on how you behave, not how you wish to behave. Use the results to develop your own DIQ action plan. (You will not be asked to share your responses.) Almost Always Generally Sometimes Almost Never 1 I am aware of the main characteristics of my own cultural groups (e.g. age, gender, education). 2 I adapt my style to reflect my awareness of the diversity of my team and colleagues. 3 educate myself regarding the characteristics of different cultures within my organization. 4 I intentionally include diverse people in my circles, and encourage diversity of thought. 5 I am aware of my biases and stereotypes and I am implementing specific actions to address them. 6 I am aware of my own micro-messaging habits. 7 I encourage my friends and colleagues to call out biased behavior in a constructive way. 8 I continuously identify systematic bias within talent management practices and work with my organization to address it. 9 I intentionally surround myself with people different from me to better understand their perspectives. 10 I take my own biases into consideration before making important decisions, or shoring my opinion about others.

4 Can We Value Differences When We Can't Be Civil? A printable version on this article can be found at Have you ever observed or been a part of the following scenarios? You are seated at a busy upscale restaurant and the first words from the food server are, "Are you ready to order or do you need time?" It does not occur to the person to say, "Good afternoon," or "Welcome." You call tech support when your computer locked up in the middle of an important project. American English is not the tech's primary language, and you are having difficulty communicating. You lose your temper while explaining the computer problem. You are participating in a discussion, and you are verbally attacked because your opinion differs from the others present. As these and other similar situations become more common, do you often wonder what really makes people so rude? I was recently asked by a college in Wyoming to deliver a keynote to their faculty and staff during their in-service day. I was asked to tailor my remarks to civility instead of diversity. My first assumption was that they just wanted me to avoid the "D" word. However, the request to focus on civility came about due to the concern that too many people had a "short fuse" and the leadership wanted to foster a culture where disagreements were valued, not just tolerated. So why do otherwise "normal" people become so rude in certain situations? I believe there are at least three reasons: 1. We don't make the time to connect with others as fellow members of the human race first. The one thing we all have in common is that we are human. We all want to be loved, respected, and safe. We have forgotten to use "common" courtesies as a matter of course. Politeness is not "common" anymore. Our time is so compressed, we shortcut politeness to get to the point. In many ways, technology has caused our lives to become more stressed instead of less. Everyone wants everything immediately. , voic and text messaging can cause misunderstandings.

5 When a problem arises, and we need to 1. connect directly with a stranger, we don' t even exchange pleasantries; we go right to the issue at hand. To address this issue, the Ritz Carlton Hotels succeeded in embedding 2. courtesy into their culture. Their code is "We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentleman." All interactions with guests 3. and employees are built upon this premise We have become rigid in our thinking. Many believe their way is the only right way, thus anyone who sees things differently is 5. immediately wrong. Our unconscious biases cause us to think our viewpoint is truth, rather than just our point of view. 6. Without a conscious attempt to connect on a human level first, many people assume the other person is wrong or ignorant, so the resulting exchange is one of intolerance. 3. We live in a society of blame. If you start 7. your day by reading the newspaper or watching TV news, you will see everything 8. wrong with the world, people feeling victimized and searching for someone to Before starting any conversation for the first time with your co-workers greet them by saying "Good morning," or "Good afternoon." Ask "help me understand why do you think that..." before jumping to a conclusion about someone. Watch the news in the evening, instead of starting your day with bad news. Look for reasons to be grateful and find ways to be kind for no reason. When someone says, "thank you" to you, respond with "my pleasure" instead of "no problem." When someone makes a potentially explosive statement, that is not in the form of a question, respond with silence. If you must respond, try this. "Thank you for sharing. I see it this way... because... Create a quiet space for yourself. blame. This focus then materializes in our behavior with comments such as "It's not my fault!", "You made me do it!" Our lives do not have to be this way. We can influence our environment. We are responsible for our own actions. We can be civil toward each other even when we disagree with different points of view. Try the following actions for the next thirty days, and observe the difference in your own interactions. Perhaps they will even become new habits! There are dozens of things we can do to return to civility. The first step is to follow Nike's advice, and just do it. So, what does civility have to do with valuing differences, inclusion and unconscious bias? Everything. If we cannot slow down long enough to connect to those different from ourselves, we cannot truly learn ways to understand and respect them.

6 Additional Resources Diversity Woman Magazine Leadership Empowerment for Women Who Mean Business Diversitylnc.com Provides cutting-edge news, commentary, and in-depth analysis from an inclusive point of view. Implicit Bias Test Project Implicit is a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition - thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a "virtual laboratory" for collecting data on the Internet. Race - The Power of Illusion Online companion to the PBS series. HRC Consulting Services Human Rights Campaign working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equal rights. Lenora's Blog (articles you can re-print) Various inclusion related articles and resources.

7 LETS STAY CONNECTED NewsBrief: wwwthediversitvadvantage.info Phone: Twitter: LBHdiversitv Facebook: Lenora Billings-Harris Linkedln: UbuntuGlobal