Business leaders have to focus on so many different areas to keep things running smoothly. Even leaders with the best of intentions sometimes make mistakes. However, if a leader is making decisions without considering how the consequences will affect a specific individual, a group or an entire demographic, it's crucial for them to learn how to take a step back and address the unconscious bias that's playing a role in their decision-making process.
Whether you're a business leader that has made this mistake in the past or are someone simply trying to ensure that you steer clear of making unconsciously biased decisions, there are steps you can take to become more aware and uncover the bias so that you can correct it. Here, members of Forbes Business Council share their expert tips for combating unconscious bias in decision making to help you create a more balanced and diverse work environment.
Members of Forbes Business Council share advice on tackling unconscious bias in the decision making process.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Weigh The Pros And Cons
Weigh the pros and cons for every decision and make sure you think two steps ahead. In business, every decision creates a domino effect. Plan out the best- and worst-case scenarios and choose the outcome that will be most beneficial to your company in the long term. - Mark E Cohenno, National EMS Institute Inc
2. Consider Positive And Negative Implications
Before making a decision as a leader, one must consider the positive and potentially negative implications of what they put out to their organization. Almost every decision made will have some level of bias. We, as leaders, must determine if the desired outcome will outweigh the bias imposed on the organization. - Oscar Frazier, nDemand Consulting Services
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3. Align Intentions With Core Values
Be an inspired leader that sets intentions aligned with their core values. This ensures that decisions are made through the best of intentions, and success is more rewarding because relationships are not compromised. - Karen Mc Dermott, Serenity Press Pty Ltd
4. Understand What Employees Are Thinking
You have to know what your employees are thinking before providing action. Ask around, take a survey and then come up with a plan with your inside team. - Justin Grome, Clonefluence, Inc.
5. Take A Pause
Take a pause and sleep on the decision. Also, depending upon the severity of the decision, consciously recall possible unconscious biases you may be subject to and validate your decision against each of them with a clear mind. Ask for advice from people you trust and who will not hesitate to offend you. - Abhishek Rungta, Indus Net Technologies (INT.)
6. Remain Aware And Actively Work To Improve
While unconscious bias is unconscious, being aware that it exists and actively working to overcome it can improve results. Questions to ask include, “What biases might we have?” “What impact might this have?” and most importantly, “What can we do about it?” Then, when taking specific steps for making better decisions, include data and metrics to objectively weigh options and involve people with diverse opinions. - Victoria Lakers, The Lancer Group
7. Create A Decision Matrix To Locate The Bias
When making an important decision, I often try to create a decision matrix. This allows me to split one large decision into several separate factors that can be rated independently. Quite often I can identify where exactly my opinion is biased and why. - Vladimir Lugovsky, Akveo
8. Consider What Is Driving The Decision
Write a memo that lays out the narrative driving the decision. Don't keep to the surface—drill down into the evidence and data. As you start to see holes in the story, fill them in or rewrite aspects. You might find you want to go in a different direction. A memo will at least enrich the decision and serve as a living keystone document for the team. Bring the team together and use the memo as context. - Tam Thao Pham, DryShield
9. Demonstrate Your Openness To Feedback
First, you have to demonstrate that you are open to "critical" feedback and value differing perspectives—this is difficult trust-building work. Second, seek out contrarian perspectives and do the hard work to see the concerns from their vantage point. Third, incorporate the feedback into your decision-making process. Finally, know that no one will ever be perfect, but we can make progress and do better. - Barry Marshall, P5 Collaborative Consulting, LLC
10. Practice Self-Reflection And Honesty
It’s a long-term process that involves constant self-reflection and a commitment toward being honest, both to yourself and with other people. Don’t expect miracles. Follow the golden rule: Constantly put yourself in the other person’s shoes and ask if you’d want the decision you’re making for them to be made for you. - Alina Clark, CocoDoc
11. Build A Diversified Team And Be Encouraging
As business leaders, one effective way to address unconscious bias in our decision making is to build a very diversified team with different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and ages. As leaders, you build a culture of safety where people are encouraged to speak up and exchange ideas for the ultimate good of the team and the business. Listening is critical for making unbiased decisions. - David Qu, Joint Commission International
12. Consider Best-Case Results First
Use the reverse-order approach. Every time you consider a business decision, start with a high-level assumption of the best-case results. It helps to define a baseline and compare possible options. If you are not satisfied with your assumption of the best-case results, what makes you think that reality is going to be better? - Sergej Derzap, Amasty
13. Look At Career Trajectories
Take a practical approach by looking at career trajectories. Early judgments about performance can determine whether an employee has access to future stretch opportunities in many cases. Look at how you are evaluating employees and assess whether everyone is being treated fairly by adopting objective and behavior-based standards for recognizing potential (instead of subjective judgments). - Sindhu Kutty Kuroshio Consulting
14. Don't Make Difficult Decisions Alone
Consensus-driven leadership is key. Don't make the more difficult or more strategic decisions alone. In consensus leadership, the business leader gathers the opinions from the other leaders within the organization. When this environment is created, the business leader creates positive accountability and the decision is shared. - Scott Snider, Exit Planning Institute
15. Focus On The Impact On Many, Not One
Instead of focusing on the motivation of one, understand the impact on many. Instead of fixating on who came up with an idea, I pay attention to where it can take us. I prefer to think in terms of the advantages of an idea, so I ask a simple question each time, “How can this solve a customer pain point?” - Pankaj Srivastava, Practicalspeak
16. View Things From A Different Perspective
Empathy in leadership is critical to address this. Viewing things from another's viewpoint and being able to openly discuss bias may build a habit of thinking of others regarding a decision that may be needed. Some choices need to be made quickly. Showing cognitive empathy in decisions may combat this bias and better suit your team. The ability to have compassion with cognitive empathy helps. - Paul L. Gunn, KUOG Corporation
