What’s my bias?

I ask myself this question frequently, but maybe not frequently enough. The fact is all of us have a point of view that’s limited in some respect. We are limited by where we live, work and play and who we live, work and play with.

Last week I met Andele from Nigeria. We spent one afternoon walking through a Mexican city together. Unlike tourists we shopped in a grocery store, priced the cost of motorcycles and walked through neighborhoods. I asked Andele how things we saw compared to his city back home. For those moments I stepped out of my bias and into another point of view. Together we asked different questions about what we were seeing. He saw everyday life through his African eyes and I saw them through my American lens.

I like to say that Leaders see more. When our bias is challenged or better… integrated with more points of view, our capacity to lead has grown.

In what ways do you allow your biases to be challenged?