#44: Howard J. Ross – Why All Humans are Unconsciously Biased and How to Bridge the Divide in Our Society

friends & social life personal development podcast May 19, 2020

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We live in a world driven by bias and stereotypes. Discover how a social justice advocate like Howard Ross defines the complexities of belonging, modern tribalism, and controlling stereotypes.

I had a chance to talk to him about the importance of stereotype filtering, how to gain clarity about our own biases, and how to determine if that is something that helps us or holds us back. Howard explains why he thinks that the “Maslow Needs system is wrong” as it doesn’t account for the unconscious bias. Finally, Howard wraps everything up with a piece of nice and easily applicable advice.

Howard Ross is a lifelong social justice advocate, and is considered one of the world’s seminal thought leaders on unconscious bias. He is a Founding Partner of Cook Ross, Inc., and author of ReInventing Diversity, Everyday Bias, and Our Search for Belonging. He has been published by Harvard Business Review, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Fast Company, Diversity Women, Forbes, Fortune, and others. He appears regularly on National Public Radio. Howard currently serves on the Diversity Advisory Board of the Human Rights Campaign, the board of the Dignity and Respect Campaign, and the National Women’s Mentoring Network. He has collected a ton of awards and accolades for all his work in all these various spectrums.

Show Notes

0:30 Introduction to Howard Ross

0:58 What are Howard’s books all about

4:08 Howard’s perspective on belonging

6:05 The modern challenges on belonging and how to overcome those

7:59 Global citizenship concepts VS National belonging concepts

10:35 What can we do about modern tribalism

17:05 The importance of the individual experience against stereotypes

18:50 What are the most common biases and stereotypes

23:45 How to balance biased information intake

27:25 How to know if your bias is helping you or holding you back

31:30 Gaining clarity about our biases