We are all Slave now.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

I have to say that this is the most frustrating response I get at the firm. It is so oblivious to the actual problem being addressed--namely that the people being trained to look at their own actions with some new perspective need to, you know, understand why they act the way they do--that it almost seems intentional. It's like you might see that there's a problem, but you don't want to put any effort into addressing it yourself. If you're going to go to a training session, you just want to be told how to fix it as if the solution is as easy as screwing in a light bulb.
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Me - Here's a problem we need to address: People can't see their own biases. There is a phenomenon called unconscious bias in which all societal cues have caused you to act on biases you don't even know you have and one called confirmation bias in which you look for any evidence at all that confirms a preexisting bias you hold and once you have it, you act accordingly (while ignoring that same evidence in someone who doesn't fit that bias).

Partner - That's interesting. But I'm not racist. I'm a good person. I would never make a decision based on race. What are the solutions to this?

Me - No one is saying you're a bad person. We are no longer talking about overt racism. If the baseline problem is one that you did not know existed, then a better understanding of that problem and the knowledge that you, you know, have it should lead you to make changes on your own.

Partner - How so? We need action items.

Me - Well, we've tried to give you examples. When you're talking to incoming associates, gravitating to the ones who share your interests (and giving them work because you're so comfortable with them) doesn't make much sense if your interests are sailing, golf, equestrian, Cape Cod, and Princeton. You have to understand these things about yourself and then actively avoid making connections and decisions based on them. It's up to you to think about how your unconscious biases and tendency toward confirmation bias affects your decision and your practice. Why do you give all your work to the kid from Greenwich, Connecticut? Why do you describe the woman on your reviews as "sweet and friendly" and the men on your deals as "smart and impressive?" Does it have something to do with biases you have of who is competent professionally that you should investigate?

Partner - So, don't talk about sailing and don't call women, "sweet." Got it.

Me - Jesus fucking Christ.

TM

I can see why that would be highly frustrating.

eta: In the spirit of being constructive and trying to find solutions, I just read a fantastic book called the High Growth Handbook, by Elad Gil. I'm sure it's much more relevant to my work than most other people here, but if it sounds like the sort of thing that would interest you then you should check it out. Anyway, in that book is an interview with a woman named Joelle Emerson, whom I don't think I knew anything about previously. That interview was really good. I lent my copy o the book to our CEO but TM I will make a copy of that interview and shoot it to you if you like. I am too new* at my current company to start telling other people how to hire, etc., but I am planning to look for more from Emerson and her outfit.

* For those of you familiar with my last shop, I have moved on to hopefully bigger and better things.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I can see why that would be highly frustrating.

eta: In the spirit of being constructive and trying to find solutions, I just read a fantastic book called the High Growth Handbook, by Elad Gil. I'm sure it's much more relevant to my work than most other people here, but if it sounds like the sort of thing that would interest you then you should check it out. Anyway, in that book is an interview with a woman named Joelle Emerson, whom I don't think I knew anything about previously. That interview was really good. I lent my copy o the book to our CEO but TM I will make a copy of that interview and shoot it to you if you like. I am too new* at my current company to start telling other people how to hire, etc., but I am planning to look for more from Emerson and her outfit.

* For those of you familiar with my last shop, I have moved on to hopefully bigger and better things.

Apropos of which, this looks interesting.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

In the spirit of being constructive and trying to find solutions, I just read a fantastic book called the High Growth Handbook, by Elad Gil. I'm sure it's much more relevant to my work than most other people here, but if it sounds like the sort of thing that would interest you then you should check it out. Anyway, in that book is an interview with a woman named Joelle Emerson, whom I don't think I knew anything about previously. That interview was really good. I lent my copy o the book to our CEO but TM I will make a copy of that interview and shoot it to you if you like.

Sure. I'm always open to reading something good that relates to this issue.

TM