UNBIAS

CHAPTER 7Leaders Listen

We have two ears and one mouth for a reason: so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. This concept is attributed to Greek philosopher Epictetus, but regardless of who said it, people have trouble heeding the message and struggle with the concept.

Listening is vital and what should be a relatively simple concept is once again very difficult for companies to put into practice. Take the example of the unconscious bias education you were considering prior to reading this book. In that case, you more than likely made the decision that unconscious bias education was the way to go without conducting an employee survey, without obtaining feedback from your employees, or by extrapolating the opinions of a small group of the loudest voices in your company.

Regardless of how you hear those voices, it's vital that you actually listen to what's being said. By intentionally listening, you gain a greater understanding of the kind of unconscious bias training you need, rather than a cookie‐cutter, seemingly one‐size‐fits‐all training that is too broad to be useful. That's why we at Rework Work customize our unconscious bias education to the systematic specifics of your company's needs. With there being over 150 different types of bias, it's vital to identify your needs in order to effectively address them.

Listening Exercise

We'd like to think we are good listeners, but if we ask our partner, children, or even our friends, they would probably tell us otherwise. ...