Literature of Leadership - Leader’s Guide To Unconscious Bias

LEADER’S GUIDE TO UNCONSCIOUS BIAS: HOW TO REFRAME BIAS, CULTIVATE CONNECTION, AND CREATE HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS. Pamela Fuller, Mark Murphy, Anne Chow. (2020, Kindle Edition)

In a year marked by crises and uncertainty, societal and workforce issues pertaining to equity, diversity and inclusion abound. The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias is a timely, insightful and thought-provoking book on the connection between unconscious bias and workplace performance, with a particular focus on matters of diversity and inclusion. As explained by the authors, “discrimination, racial injustice, and injustice in any form...have no place in the workplace or in society at large.” Yet, research reveals that biases are a natural part of the human condition that show up in our reactions, interactions and relationships with others, thereby impacting how we define possibilities for ourselves and for others. In this book, the authors explore what bias is, how it impacts performance, its importance for leaders, teams, and organizations, as well as how to recognize when it’s happening and take appropriate course-corrective action.

The book is written by Pamela Fuller, FranklinCovey’s chief thought leader on diversity and inclusion, in collaboration with Mark Murphy, a FranklinCovey senior consultant, and Anne Chow, CEO of AT&T Business. The models, best practices and strategies presented throughout the book draw from the core principles and resources underlying FranklinCovey leadership consulting and training programs. Accordingly, the book consists of 16 chapters that are organized around and unpack the four component parts of FranklinCovey’s Bias Progress Model. These include:

1. Identify Bias—which deals with building self-awareness on what bias is and the relationship between our biases and our identities, as well as an understanding of the basic neuroscience of why it happens, common terminology, and when we are most susceptible to bias traps.

2. Cultivate Connection—which  focuses on cultivating meaningful connection through empathy and curiosity.

3. Choose Courage—which introduces four ways to act with courage: the courage to identify bias, the courage to cope with bias, the courage to be an ally, and the courage to be an advocate.

4. Apply Across the Talent Lifecycle—which addresses the policies, systems and practices required to ensure that leadership behavior, people-related processes, and organizational culture reinforce a high-performing organization, where employees feel valued, respected, and included.

At the end of each chapter, a toolkit is provided to assist individuals and leaders, respectively, in the application of relevant insights. A highly recommended book for leaders at all levels.

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