P2P

23 I L T A N E T . O R G I n 2014, I came out as a transgender woman and transitioned in my personal and professional spheres. I had struggled with hiding my gender identity for much of my life and to reach this point of self-acceptance required deeply examining, understanding and uprooting my own internalized transphobia. I grew up in South Africa, which during the 1970s – 2000s was an intensely conservative and patriarchal society. I was raised in a loving family, but in a general environment of intense homophobia and transphobia, not to mention the regulatory racism with which many people are familiar. These ideas had infused pre-cognitively growing up and took a great deal of work to release as not my own. I have also had to pass through a similar process regarding learned attitudes of racism and classicism that I absorbed in the same formational environment. Though I have always held and believed that I am fundamentally progressive in my worldview, I have worked to uncover more and more the unconscious biases in my life. There is hope! My experience and insight is that doing the work to uncover personal unconscious bias builds the skill and muscle to root it out in other areas. The unconscious, emotional terrain of one's bias follows similar neural pathways and navigating these pathways (or "trenches") makes it easier to see and take conscious action upon them. This work of uprooting unconscious biases is critical for all to make a practice, but especially so in the case of leaders and managers. The simple rule of thumb for this practice is becoming aware and mindful when a person's difference causes discomfort or some other negative reaction. Slow it down, sit with the discomfort, and examine from where it is arising. Invariably, the reaction is based not on any rationality, but rather on one's "tribal" brain taking over. Lean into the discomfort and let it teach you. Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. ILTA Gillian Power is the Chief Information and Security Officer at Lathrop GPM LLP and is an accomplished and recognized strategic thought leader. Passionate about talent development, diversity and inclusion, change management, digital transformation and innovation, Gillian is a valued and long-time ILTA volunteer leader and author. G I L L I A N P O W E R Uprooting My Unconscious Biases R A I S I N G C O N S C I O U S N E S S

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