Cognitive: Including education, experiences and skills, personality, neurodiversity and mental health
Social and lifestyle: Including nationality, ethnicity and culture, beliefs and practices, marital and parenthood choices, location/geography and socio‑economic background These dimensions intersect with each other to form the complex weave of diversity that is unique to each person – our diversity ‘thumbprint’, you might say. Be curious about your own diversity thumbprint and of those around you by answering the following questions: • Which dimensions of diversity would you use to describe your identity? • Which dimensions of diversity – and the resulting biases and discrimination – are you most familiar with? • Which dimensions of diversity are you most curious to learn more about? • What would you like to do to find out more about these dimensions? Honest introspection Everyone has biases: unfair assumptions or prejudices for or against certain people or groups. Honest introspection means recognising that these biases are systemic and deeply embedded in how things are done, then reflecting on both the ones we are aware of and the ones that may operate unconsciously. As a starting point, it can be beneficial to do an Implicit Association Test to identify and understand what your unconscious biases might be. When we engage in honest introspection in this way, we can ensure that those biases do not seep into how we think, what we say, the decisions we make and what we do. Humble acknowledgement The world is experienced differently by everyone depending on one’s privilege. Our privilege stems from all the biases and experiences of discrimination we have not experienced in life, but which others have had to navigate. Many who belong to a represented group don’t see these as issues because they don’t experience them. We must humbly acknowledge our privileges to understand that
just because something does not affect you or you don’t experience it, does not mean that it doesn’t exist. Think about whether you have had to: • Explain and defend where you are from and/or answer the follow-up question: Where you are actually from? • Make considered choices about what to wear to be taken seriously • Hide who you love out of fear of judgement – or worse, criminal persecution • Downplay your invisible disabilities to get an interview • Be declined a job on the basis of “not fitting in”. How many of the above don’t apply to you or your experiences? The ones you have not had to think about form the basis of your privilege. Empathetic engagement An essential component to active allyship is engaging with each other to address biases and microaggressions in a way that doesn’t cause defensiveness but rather focuses on empathy. This
34 Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2026
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online