3 Tips on Overcoming Workplace Bias

Overcoming workplace bias remains a massive challenge for women across financial services. It's a challenge DeAnna Busby-Rast is very familiar with. Below she shares her story and reveals how she rose above the bias that tried to hold her down.

There’s an outdated assumption that women are family-driven first and that our careers come second. That we can’t be as effective as our male counterparts in certain roles, especially after we have children.

In reality, we are multi-dimensional human beings who value many things simultaneously. We can be loving mothers, supportive partners, and caring daughters, all while being productive professionals. 

We know this. We live this every day. But how do we overcome the bias that tries to define us as only one of these things at a time?

Career coach DeAnna Busby-Rast recently opened up about the bias she faced during her sales career and how she overcame it. Here are a few of her tips for pushing beyond the box people try to place you in.

1. Observe others to learn, then document your success.

Your colleagues are great resources. That doesn’t always mean you should play 20 questions with them during their lunch break or bombard their inboxes with pleas for advice. Sometimes, the best way to learn is through observation. That’s how DeAnna grew.

“I would watch what the people around me did—what made them successful, what led them to fail. I learned so much from it.”

Once you put your findings into practice, make sure to document the results. Numbers don’t lie. They aren’t subjective. They leave very little room for bias. They are your first layer of protection when someone tries to accuse you of not meeting expectations. 

2. Don’t compromise who you are or what you value.

DeAnna found herself struggling to get to work on time after dropping her kids off at daycare. She was often a few minutes late to the office, but her performance never faltered. Her boss was nevertheless unimpressed. He wanted her there at 8am. No excuses.

Instead of giving in, DeAnna stood up for herself. “I looked that man in the eyes and said, ‘I can't be here at 8:00. I can give you 100% of everything I have when it comes to a work standpoint, but my children come first.’”

Instead of giving into the biased assumption about her—that being a successful business woman and a mother was impossible—she proceeded to lay out the numbers she continued to hit and the hours she put in outside of the office. She knew her work ethic and output were undeniable. And, ultimately, so did he.

She adds, “It was a tipping point in my career…such a tipping point that it actually built confidence in me.”

3. Give yourself credit.

The truth is, we often downplay ourselves in the same way those biased towards us might. DeAnna explains this perfectly. 

“I often associated my own success with the fact that it was luck. As I matured in my career, I realized that I was doing that, and I quickly stopped. The truth was, I invested a lot of energy into becoming really good at sales.”

Don’t feed into the bias that you already have to work against. It’s not a miracle that you ended up where you are. Letting others think that is a disservice to yourself. You overcame defeat, persevered, pushed yourself, and put in the hours to be where you are. Take your credit and respect your accomplishments so that others can, too.

Connect with DeAnna and learn more about how she can help enhance your confidence and career here.