UNBiased Dharshi Harindra

Late last year I challenged myself to making 2024 a year of doing less and being more. First part of that challenge – figuring out what that means to me in practical terms. Turns out, "doing less and being more" is easier said than done! 



That's also why my beloved podcast is taking a short break. At 50 episodes strong, it felt like time to hit refresh. I'm diving deeper, uncovering new themes, and lining up inspiring guests to explore: 


How our biases sculpt the world around us 


The tricky (and often unhelpful) role of labels 


And what it even means to be "normal" anymore 



In the meantime, stay curious, stay tuned, and maybe find your own way to hit the slow button.

More insights from UNBiased will be back from Q2 2024.

Wrapping up 2023 with a commitment to bid farewell to burnout in 2024! Joined by DEI expert Khayshie Tilak Ramesh, who shares both her personal experiences with burnout as well nuggets from her tried and tested programmes for getting from burnout to balance. But Khayshie's systemic approach goes beyond quick fixes, addressing the energy drain faced by underrepresented groups in demanding systems, and we explored the need for systemic change alongside the personal. 

 

✨ For any of you who feel the need for permission to slow down and rest, please take this episode as all the permission you need.  

 

🌟 Quote stuck on Khayshie's laptop:  

“Instead of asking 'have I worked hard enough to deserve a rest? ', I've started asking, 'Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work? '” – Nicola Jane Hobbs. 

Joining me on the latest episode of UNBiased is Siang Lu. 

Siang is the award-winning author of The Whitewash, the co-creator of The Beige Index and the creator of #dumbbookstagram. The Whitewash won Audiobook of the Year at the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards and the Glendower Emerging Writer Award at the Queensland Literary Awards, and was shortlisted at the NSW Premiers Literary Awards.

In our conversation we delved into The Whitewash in all its punchy, poignant, entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny glory. Siang also shared openly about his own personal journey that led him both to writing (he quit his law degree pretty early on in favour of literature), and targeting representation in so many forms to build visibility of important issues in novel ways.

The Whitewash is a mockumentary addressing Asian representation in Hollywood. This led Siang to co-create The Beige Index - the Bechdel Test for race, exploring ethnic representation in the IMDb Top 250 Films.

Can't wait to read more from Siang.

Learn more about Siang here: https://www.siang-lu.com/

Check out the Beige Index here: https://thebeigeindex.com

Rounding off a series of episodes exploring cognitive biases that I uncovered through my own journey in private practice before studying bias itself – this week highlighting some of the biases that keep us tethered to the status quo.

Overcoming biases begins with understanding. Identify and unlock a new way of thinking to discover the unknown unknowns.  

Ever been told not to be the first on the dancefloor? Well, that unconventional advice came from a senior partner rallying a large group of us at the launch of our "Innovation Committee" at a law firm I worked for some time ago.  

"Why not lead from the front?" you might ask. The answer lies in understanding cognitive biases, which every one of us has. 

We've heard so many varied stories and lived experiences of biases through the podcast. Today we take a step back to break down what we mean when referring to cognitive biases, and deep dive into a few of them - the bandwagon effect, social proof, status quo bias, and in-group bias, based on a lived example.

Cognitive diversity isn’t spoken about enough in the DEI world.  

Conversations I’ve had over the past few weeks made me reflect on my early experiences as a new lawyer. When I started out in law school surrounded by the people who would become my colleagues for at least the next 2 years, I was convinced I’d found my people. I belonged. And there can be no better feeling, particularly in an industry known for its long hours – we were going to be spending a whole lot of time together. 

When I first realised I felt this way because we were all thought in the same way the joy of belonging outdid any voices in my head that would speculate over whether this was problematic.  

Today, we are much more aware of hiring for culture add, rather than culture fit. But a lack of cognitive diversity – an environment where teams all think and operate in one way, and who suppress alternative thoughts for fear of losing that sense of belonging, harms not only inclusion, but an organisation’s ability to survive disruption. 

I felt compelled to share one of my law school stories after recognising that law firms which are genuinely invested in adopting an innovative future-focused mindset, have a blind spot when it comes to cognitive diversity.  

If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you.  

If this really doesn’t resonate with you, I’d also love to hear from you.  

If you are one of those lawyers who does think or operate differently but rarely use that voice at work for fear of losing your perceived sense of belonging, I’d love to hear from you.