Breaking Through Barriers: Combat Workplace Biases Against Women with Emotional Intelligence - E101

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to Lead to Excel podcast, where we explore the connection between leadership, emotional intelligence and neuroscience to empower you to excel in your personal and professional life. I'm your host, maureen Chiana, and today we are tackling a critical issue, a critical topic workplace biases against women and how these can be dealt with through emotional intelligence and the power of the brain. In the last few weeks, I've had so many people that I coach or that I have started coaching due to this problem biases in the workplace against women. Sometimes these biases or in most cases, these biases are from their managers. In a lot of cases are women as well, and that's a topic I'm going to talk about soon, because a lot of times, females that have risen through the ranks and have felt that they needed to be really aggressive or really needed to be focused not even necessarily aggressive, but focused on where they're going to get to the top become leaders with no emotional intelligence, no idea of how to lead human beings, which is really unfortunate. So today I'm going to shed light on this, on the critical barrier to professional growth which we're talking about workplace biases. They are often invisible huddles that disproportionately affect women, especially black women, in their careers. Our journey today will navigate these biases and explore actionable ways to overcome them, ensuring that every woman can achieve or maximize her potential.

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In our workplaces, biases manifest in two main forms implicit and explicit. Implicit bias is like an unseen current subtly influencing decisions without you even realizing it. It's in the assumptions that a woman might not be as technically skilled or as a certively competent in leadership roles. For black women, this current runs even deeper, as racial stereotypes compound gender stereotypes, creating a formidable barrier to advancement. Then there's explicit bias. These are the direct, undeniable instances of discrimination. They're the policies or attitudes that overtly favor one group over another, often sidelining women, and particularly black women, from opportunities for growth and leadership. These biases don't just limit individual careers. They stifle the diversity of thoughts and experience essential for organizational success. And this is why I tend to say that a lot of times you find that organizations or a leader or team employ people because of the potential that they see, that they see that they have in their brain. But when they start working for you, the way you treat them makes them leave their brain at home, and then they come to work and they're just using yours, and that's real shame because it's a complete loss of diversity and creativity. So let's start by understanding what we're up against. Workplace biases, whether they are obvious or subtle, can significantly impact women's career advancement, job satisfaction and emotional well-being. These biases manifest, like I said, in different forms. I want us now to reflect, or I want you to reflect, on your experiences. Have you ever felt overlooked, underestimated or pigeonholed because of your gender? Recognizing these moments is painful but necessary.

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Emotional intelligence is our ammo and our tool in navigating workplace biases. It comprises several key skills self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and social skills. Starting with self-awareness, this is about knowing your feelings, your strengths, your weaknesses and triggers. We're faced with bias. How do you react? Or respond emotionally? Can you identify these emotions in real time? Or do they happen and then you go away and then start ruminating and really getting yourself into an emotional entanglement.

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Practicing mindfulness, where your paying attention to yourself and to what's happening around you, will help you enhance your self-awareness. Spend a few minutes each day in quiet reflection, focusing on your breath and observing your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Then self-regulation Once you become aware of your emotions, the next step is to manage them. This doesn't mean suppressing your feelings, but understanding and expressing them constructively. It's being curious. It's asking the question why am I feeling the way that I do? Techniques such as deep breathing, counting to 10, or positive affirmations can help manage emotional responses in the moment. It might be that you're about to give a presentation and then you find yourself so nervous you might start speaking really quickly or you might completely freeze. This is the time to stop, take deep breaths, count to 10, and refocus yourself. Or it might even be that somebody challenges you in the meeting. You say something. They disagree with you in a very not very nice way. Instead of getting defensive and jumping in, stop breathe, count one to 10, and then determine how you're going to respond.

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Empathy, understanding and sharing the feelings of others can help you bridge gaps and build alliances. It involves active listening and putting yourself in other people's shoes, even those who may unknowingly exhibit biases. Empathy can transform perspectives and foster a more inclusive environment. Then we look at motivation. Channel your emotional energy towards your goals, despite any biases you might encounter. Set small, achievable targets that lead to bigger objectives. Celebrate these milestones to keep you motivated. This would also help prevent you from getting too focused on the biases you're experiencing, where you then end up losing opportunities for getting to stay focused on what you really want, because your focus is on what's being done to you. But when you focus on what you want, when you focus on the goal that you want to achieve, that is powerful, because that will help you stay focused, reassess situations and know how to deal with the biases that are coming against you, where you're being really intentional about what you want, and so this way, you're being very responsive as opposed to being reactive. Then, finally, social skills Effective communication and relationship building skills are vital. They will help you navigate and negotiate the complexities of workplace dynamics, practice assertive communication that respects your value and the value of others.

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I do talk a lot about communication, and I'll mention it a bit later in this podcast, but it's one that is so important because what we do as human beings is communicate the way we are, or get defensive, like the example I gave previously about being in a presentation or in a meeting. Somebody challenges you without stopping to think. You get defensive and then you start responding to the communication without actually listening intently to what the person is saying. Your brain goes into this fast mode where you then prepare your answer and you then might find that you're both talking about different things. So because you've not really paid attention to what that person said. But also paying attention gives you more time to answer very smartly, so that you're not being reactive but being very responsive.

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Neuroplasticity the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections is what offers us so much hope, because you can rewire your brain to respond more positively to challenges, including biases. Pay attention to your thoughts, observe them in a non-judgmental way. When you notice your mind drifting towards biases or challenges, gently guide it back to simply noticing your thoughts. This technique will help you increase awareness and reduce stress. We are then able to be intentional about the decisions that you're making, the words that you speak, but also managing your emotions effectively so that you're consciously doing what you want to do, and it also helps you to focus on what you want, see opportunities and get to where you need to get to quickly, instead of spending time in that fighting zone of survival, but instead you'll be able to thrive.

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Cognitive behaviour techniques are so important, and this is your ability to spot and address negative thinking habits that biases can initiate, for example, thinking traps like catastrophising that thought process. You know where you tell yourself this will always go wrong because I'm involved, or where you indulge in mind reading, they probably think I'm not competent enough. All these can be countered. Challenge these thoughts by questioning their accuracy and substituting them with positive affirmations. If you catch yourself thinking I'm going to fail this project because I'm not good enough, counteracted by reminding yourself of past successes and your skillsets, such as I have successfully completed similar projects before and I have the skills needed to succeed in this one.

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Then visualisation, where we use our frontal part of our brain, visualise achieving your goals despite biases. Imagine navigating a challenging meeting successfully or speaking up and being heard. Visualisation primes your brain to acting ways that align with your visualised outcome. This is so powerful because once you visualise, for example, yourself in a meeting where you're speaking up and being heard, even when you then get into a meeting and you're actually not being listened to, because your focus and you've already visualised it and your focus is that you know what I'm being heard. It enables you to stay focused on what you want to say, on the message you're delivering, that honestly, because you're in that calm state, you will find that you will be heard. Because when you focus on not being heard oh, I've spoken before and I wasn't listened to, I wasn't heard. Once you're going with that kind of mindset because that is where your focus is going you will activate your stress response and you'll find that you either start speaking really quickly or you miss the point or you cramp too much in.

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Things basically don't go wrong, but then you come across to the people who you're presenting to as incompetent or unprepared Some things to do. I call them action tips are set boundaries for yourself. Learn to say no to tasks that detract from your career goals or personal well-being. But also, when I talk about setting boundaries, it's also setting boundaries for yourself so that, no matter what's happening, no matter the biases you're experiencing or what is happening around you, you're setting boundaries for yourself in the sense that you're staying focused on what you want to achieve. You're staying focused on the goal that you have, and it could be a goal of going into a senior leadership role. It could be a goal of going higher in your career. It could be a goal of scaling your business. Whatever the situation is, but just staying focused on where you're going. Another important thing is sick mental shift, sick mental shift or sponsorship. Find mentors who can offer guidance, support and advocate for you. Build a support network, surround yourself with allies who would uplift and support you and, finally, invest in a coach. It's so important because a coach will help you navigate through a lot of biases, and this is whether you're an interpreter or whether you're running your own business.

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Leaders and organizations play a crucial role in dismantling workplace biases. So organizations implement bias training. Educate employees to recognize and combat biases. Promote diversity and inclusion and show that diverse representation is present or is occurring in all levels of the organization. Create safe feedback channels where you encourage open dialogue open dialogue about biases and discrimination. These are so important.

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As a leader, give people the safe space to give you feedback on how you're managing. What do they perceive? Because you find that, as a leader, you might be drawn unconsciously to a certain type of people in your team, where you're giving them the great projects, or giving them projects, and then you're ignoring other people that probably don't agree with you. Then, subconsciously, you move away from them so you don't give them opportunities to grow. But they might actually be the ones you need, because they are the ones that are not, yes, people, but you don't like the people that don't conform to what you say, what you want because you're the boss, but a great boss is the one that actually listens, because you learn a lot from people that don't agree with you, and you find that you're also able to grow because of it.

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After exploring emotional intelligence and these brain rewiring tips, I want us to dive now into a practical. After exploring emotional intelligence and brain rewiring techniques, I want us to now dive into a practical tool that are found invaluable in supporting new clients. It's called the Prison Brain Mapping Diagnostic. This is a unique diagnostic tool that offers deep insights into an individual's behavioral preferences and work aptitudes, based on neuroscience. Understanding your own brain's wiring can empower you to address and overcome biases more effectively. Prison Brain Mapping helps you achieve this by identifying your behavioral strengths. Knowing your strengths allows you to leverage them more effectively in challenging situations. So, for example, if the diagnostic shows that you excel in strategic thinking, being focused, being very evaluative, you can use this strength to navigate and mitigate biases in workplace planning and decision-making processes. It might then show you that you've actually wired this part of your brain very high over the 75th percentile.

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Now the question is does this serve you in your role? It might serve you if you're working as an embryologist, where you need to be very precise. But it might not serve you if you're a leader, because you will find that you struggle to delegate and then you're actually getting burnt out because you're doing your job and your team members' jobs. This also helps you understand emotional reactions, so it can reveal why certain biases trigger strong emotional responses in you. Reading the diagnostic with a coach is so powerful because your coach will enable you go beneath the surface and understand your reports in a very deeper way and then enable you create an action plan, which is what I do with my own clients. So the awareness of this is the first step in applying emotional intelligence techniques more effectively, allowing you to manage your reactions and respond in ways that serve your best interests. It will also help you enhance communication skills by understanding the diverse communication styles and preferences of your colleagues, which you find a lot of times. You can then tailor your own interactions to minimize misunderstanding and biases. It's so powerful. This is particularly useful in building a more inclusive, more productive workplace as well or team.

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So looking at some practical tips on using this diagnostic when you take the diagnostic, which takes about 45 minutes, you're able to then review it with your coach and go through the results, like I mentioned previously, then develop an action plan personalized action plan and this might include specific emotional intelligence practices, brain rewiring exercises or communication strategies aimed at addressing the biases that you face. Then the regular check-ins are important. Using this brain mapping diagnostic as a baseline, we can regularly check in to your progress or check in to see how much progress you're making, then adjust your strategies as needed to enable you to continue to grow and overcome biases in the workplace. It's so powerful. I want to know more about using the prison brain mapping diagnostic. Drop me a message and I'll use it with you. I will go through it with you. It's powerful. It's powerful.

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So now I want us to, or rather I want to, answer some questions that I've had over time and I'm just going to go through maybe three or four. The first question I want to answer here is how can I overcome biases in the workplace when they seem so ingrained in the company culture? So overcoming ingrained biases requires a multifaceted approach. Definitely, to handle hidden biases at work, you need to start by watching closely how people are treated. If you notice some fairness, it's best to speak up or talk to someone who can help, like a manager or HR professional. So learn more about different kinds of biases and share what you know with your team.

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If you want to know more on biases, I definitely would recommend two things. One is you can have a look at the emotional intelligence for leadership training in our academy, the Mindsight Academy. Or, if you're a Christian woman, you can join our Mindsight Women's Network, where I really will support you through all this. There's so much in the network that really helps you navigate through these biases, and you find that you're not just helping yourself, you're even able to help other people. So it's crucial to lead by example, display the behavior that you wish to see by treating everyone with respect and advocating for diversity and inclusion in all your interactions. Modern intelligence plays a key role here. So use your empathy to understand the perspective of other people and your social skills to then influence change, and this really includes people who might be dishing out the biases Really powerful, because the only person you can change is yourself, but the good thing is that most times when you do change, people around you change as well. So, additionally, sica lies within your organization who share your vision for a more inclusive workplace. Together, you can work on initiatives that raise awareness about biases and their impact. Remember, change often starts small, but can grow with persistence and the right approach.

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Another question that I've received is can you provide practical tips for applying emotional intelligence to improve my leadership style? Absolutely. Enhancing your leadership through emotional intelligence starts with self-awareness. Take time to reflect on your emotions and how they influence your decisions and interactions. Practicing mindfulness can help you become more attuned to your emotional state. Then work on your self-regulation skills by developing coping strategies for stress and emotional triggers, and this is where Coach can really help you do this. This could involve deep breathing exercises, taking regular breaks or engaging in physical activity to manage stress. Also and I think this is where it becomes important your coach can actually help you prevent you, to help prevent you from getting stressed in the first place, so that a situation that might have caused you a lot of stress now their help would actually make it to be water off a dog's back, so you find that you're not stressing over what you used to stress about before.

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Empathy is another crucial component. Work to understand and appreciate the feelings and perspectives of your colleagues or team members. Finally, improve your social skills by actively listening, communicating clearly and resolving conflicts constructively. Don't be the leader that listens to one person's complaints. Because you've got an affinity with the person. You take what they say and then dish out, maybe screaming or telling somebody off because somebody has come to tell you something. Be very careful. By focusing on these emotional and intelligent competencies, you will be able to foster a more positive, more productive and supportive team environment.

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Question three what are some effective brain rewiring techniques I can use to enhance my decision making and problem solving skills? Rewiring your brain or neuroplasticity, offers exciting opportunities for personal development, definitely To enhance your decision making and problem solving skills. Start with cognitive reframing. Challenge and replace negative or unproductive thought patterns with more positive and solution focused ones. This can help reduce anxiety and improve your ability to tackle problems. Regular physical exercise will also support brain rewiring by boosting neurogenesis, which is the creation of new neurons, and enhance your cognitive function. Finally, engage in new learning experiences, such as acquiring a new skill or hobby. All this will stimulate your brain and improve your problem solving abilities by encouraging the formation of these new neural connections. Pay attention to what you're thinking and if it's not serving you, it's time to change it.

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Changing and rewiring the brain. You can do on your own, but I will be honest with you, it's better to do to to get the brain to work, to get support from somebody who is experienced to help you through, because there are some situations that are quite challenging, and even for me that have been doing this for about 17 years now, there are times that I struggle to get my brain to stop and do what I wanted to do. So having that form of support is so important. Knowing what to do is so important, and because I've been doing it for so long, I know what steps to take.

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The last question is how does prison brain mapping help me understand my behavior and improve how I communicate with others? So prison brain mapping diagnostic is like a map of your brain that shows you why you act and talk or speak or interact the way you do. It helps you see your strengths and how you can get even better at talking, communicating and working with people. For example, it shows how you can be a better listener if you're great at explaining things. It shows you how you can or how you currently work. It shows you your current behavior pattern and you can then map that against what you're doing and what you want to achieve and then determine the question of is this serving me now? And if it's not, it might be a strength, but that strength is not beneficial to where you are or where you want to go. But this is why the prison brain mapping diagnostic is so powerful. It also shows you how your brain is actually adapting away from the way it's currently, away from your preferred pattern.

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That's the way you've wired your brain over time and that can have an impact on your emotions. So it can have an impact on how you feel. Sometimes it can be a feeling of frustration, sometimes it can be a feeling of anxiety or burnout, and this can be changed by understanding what's actually going on in your brain. It's almost like shining a light into your brain. It's amazing.

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So today we've explored how emotional intelligence and brain rewiring can empower us to navigate and overcome workplace biases. So now I challenge you to pick one technique that I've gone through and practice it this week. Whether it's concept of rewiring your brain, challenging your negative thought patterns, setting a small, achievable goal, whatever it is, take that step towards empowerment. Thank you once again for joining me on this journey today. Until next time, keep leading to Excel and remember your brain is your most powerful tool for change. Thank you for tuning in into Lead to Excel podcast. For more resources on today's topic, visit themindsightacademycom. Stay inspired and see you in the next episode, where we'll explore another facet of leadership emotional intelligence and neuroscience.