I was visiting McDonalds yesterday on the behalf a client and, as I was leaving with my host, the lift opened and a women entered – average height probably in her late thirties – my host exchanged the usual type of pleasantries with her, as you do in a lift, so I assumed that she was a colleague and mentally pitched her at middle-management level. When we exited the lift and were out of earshot, my host said proudly ‘that is our CEO, Catriona Noble. ‘
Well, my Unconscious Bias was working overtime as always – you see, as much as I pride myself on the ‘women can do anything’ mantra and the need – no, the criticality of getting more women to the boardroom – I envision, unconsciously, a CEO as a white male, in their 50s and over 6ft tall!
Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, including ethnicity and race, age, gender, physical abilities, religion, sexual orientation, weight, and many other characteristics. By learning about our unconscious biases we can learn to be more inclusive of people different from ourselves.
So my apologies and my admiration, Catriona – I only hope that you mentor and encourage more women to the top, during your time at the top of the Golden Arches.
Natasha Hawker owns Employee Matters Pty Ltd; an HR Consultancy that assists small to medium businesses with their HR functions to make them more efficient and profitable. Their offering includes HR Management, Recruitment, Training, Coaching, and Exit Management – find them at www.employeematters.com.au
Need help with diversity and inclusion training?
Employee Matters has helped organisations with their HR needs for over a decade, improving employee retention, productivity, and morale. Outsourcing your HR needs to us can help you with compliance and establishing trust with your employees. If you need assistance with diversity and inclusion training or have any questions, book a call to find out more.