Managing Bias for Improved Customer Service
Bias is a topic that we all need to pay attention to in our daily lives. It comes in many forms and it affects the way we think, behave, and make decisions. When it comes to workplace performance, bias can have a detrimental effect on our ability to perform at our best. That is why recognizing and overcoming bias is essential for anyone who wants to succeed in their chosen profession.
Working with asylum seekers on the Pacific island of Nauru shook me – then a Salvation Army Minister– to the core. With an inherent belief I did not carry personal bias, the alternately confronting and rich experiences created in me an incredible level of awareness of the significant impact individual and corporate stories have on how we perceive the world.
I am determined to make bias conscious in the workplace. Rather than aiming to eliminate unconscious bias, we must accept that we are a result of our environment, inherently biased, and are better served finding and making those biases conscious, and then developing targeted strategies to drive successful growth and change.