Feedback should never be a knee-jerk reaction. It should be a deliberate action that is performed mindfully.
This is because bias may affect how much praise you dole out and how critical you are of certain people. For example, research has found that professors tend to give minority students less critical (and less helpful) feedback, seemingly due to overcompensation or to appear unprejudiced.
Ask yourself if you could be doing something similar. Before you compliment a direct report on their work, is it a sincere compliment, or is it your unconscious bias that is motivating it? The same goes for any negative or critical feedback.
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Unconscious biases are hard to identify, much less know their true impact. Before you can take steps to operate more fairly and effectively at work, you need to get your bearings. Download our latest guide: Seven Misconceptions About Unconscious Bias.
