Check your bias at the door!

Tommy Young
Aug 31, 2018 · 2 min read

We’re starting up performance review season at work (YAY!) and as part of that, we do a review of bias, and how that can potentially influence (negatively) performance reviews and promotions. This is great content to review, as I always welcome an opportunity to sit and think long and hard about how I feel about people, and whether there is any bias attached.

This can happen in so many ways, when we favor people like ourselves (those who may look/act/behave like us amongst other things), when we engage in recency bias, all types. So I like to also take this opportunity to explore how I utilize bias in my personal life during these times (twice a year) as well, a rare time when I’m very excited to bring my “work self” back home for a bit.

A couple of things come to mind in terms of how I use bias, some of which apply to people, some of which apply to non-people. People-wise, I know I have a wide variety of friends, a very diverse group, and of course I’m naturally drawn to all these types of folks that I have proven success interacting with and befriending. But I can always make my friend group more diverse and inclusive, so it’s a chance for me to consider intentionally branching out and meeting new types of folks.

I also think about bias in the way I select things; whether it’s a new plant, or a style of clothing, or a type of movie to see or book to read, I recognize the need and desire to introduce more choice variety into my life as well.

Tommy Young

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Recovering human.