It's not me, it's definitely you!

In cognitive science, the "bias blind spot" refers to recognising bias in others but not in oneself.

Individuals' emotions, upbringing, and environment shape their perspectives. Everyone has some unconscious bias, and we must reduce its impact on our decisions and attitudes.

It is easier said than done.

We all have unconscious biases, and they are a natural process designed to help us speeding up our decision-making processes. However, they can also cause us to make inaccurate positive or negative assumptions about the people around us, and cause us to treat them unfairly or put them at a disadvantage.

In a 2019 Deloitte study of 3,000 workers, 39% said they experience bias at least once a month, and 68% stated that experiencing or witnessing bias has negatively affected their productivity.

For this reason, we must all understand and recognise what our unconscious biases are and take steps to prevent them from affecting our personal and business lives, and the lives of those around us.

Dr Jennifer Eberhardt is a Professor of Psychology at the Stanford University and an expert in unconscious bias. She authored the book; 'Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do'. It is she offers some tips:

1. Acknowledge the bias.
2. Assess which biases are most likely to affect you - there are some good online tests you can take.
3. Give yourself space and time to work out how to proceed.