Fostering a culture that values and prioritizes inclusion and diversity takes active and consistent effort. As we grow our firm and tap into the benefits of diversity we must create a safe space and dialogue focused on empathy to discuss unconscious bias how it can negatively impact our firm and what we can do to become more aware and mitigate unintended effects of our blind spots.

We developed a custom seminar as a part of an innovative discussion series covering Clarkston Inclusion, Diversity, Engagement in Action. Each discussion will cover a topic to build a more inclusive and knowledgeable workforce. Our first Clarkston IDEAs discussion revolves around Unconscious Bias and how it affects each and every one of us. This learning event is targeted towards all levels within the firm and provides a platform to better understand the science behind bias, challenge our own biases, discuss how our unique experiences can affect how we work and interact with one another, and learn actions each of us can take to manage and mitigate our own biases through discussion, examples, case studies, and activities.

As we’ve rolled out our IDEAs Seminar throughout our firm, we’ve seen an increase in awareness of D&I and a conscious effort to mitigate bias. We’ve created a safe space where our stewards aren’t afraid to speak up and discuss their perspectives and experiences, and have normalized the conversation around unconscious bias and inclusive behavior.