Common Sense Ain't Common

There's nothing like speaking from experience. This week, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Shaunna think through some "a ha" moments from consulting experiences and work they’ve done in the field with clients and in professional settings. 

Word of the Week: Unconscious Bias: We take in countless bits of information every single day. Our brain cannot process it all, so it uses shortcuts to anticipate what we think we know. Yet with any shortcut, there can be flaws.

Phase 1: DNC2024 Watching: Did you watch the Democratic National Convention? Between travel, on-site consulting work, and moving, it was tough for Dr. Lisa and Dr. Shaunna to watch live. At what point do we intentionally educate ourselves about current politics without retraumatizing ourselves so that we can be conscientious voters? The line is blurry at best.

Phase 2: Exclusive Business Practices: Have you ever worked for someone who declared an "Open Door Policy" for communication with their direct reports? As well intentioned as this and other traditional business practices may be -- they can do more harm than good if they go unexamined.

Phase 3: Common Sense: If Dr. Gold digs way back in her memory, she recalls Thomas Paine's leaflet entitled "Common Sense." It called for colonists to break away from Britain and King George III, spurring the American Revolution. So, when we use "common sense" in DEI discussions, we may not be aware of the terms original meaning or that common sense isn't so common after all.