It’s simple enough to voice what we know we believe and identify how it shapes our decisions. Unconscious biases are trickier, more elusive. Linda Henman discusses why it’s critical to close the gap between what we say and what we do.
Every decision starts with a belief. That is, we base our decisions on what we know to be true — what we believe. Sometimes, however, we believe something that isn’t true. Intellectually and emotionally, beliefs influence our behavior when facts and reason alone do not. Our early relationships, experiences and events create and influence our belief systems. However, when we fail to examine our beliefs and bring them to the conscious level, we run the risk that we will continue to base decisions on false or inaccurate inputs.
In most organizations, leaders give considerable thought to espoused values. These values may appear on a plaque in the foyer or on a mouse pad, but successful leaders also model them. Values play an important role in forming an organization’s culture when senior leaders agree, “This is the way we do things around here.”
Unconscious assumptions remain more mysterious, lying below the surface, undetected but ready to influence outcomes. In damaged organizations, unconscious biases commonly contradict the espoused values, causing confusion within…
