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Entrepreneurship: How can I overcome biases in my field and prove my knowledge and expertise?
LV
LV
Lee von Kraus, Unique Insights, Creative Solutions answered:

Unfortunately implicit bias is a reality which exists with regards to race, and lots of other things including height, voice, weight, sex, etc. While society is slowly learning and trying to suppress those biases, they will always exist to some extent, because they're derived from some of the fundamental neural mechanisms by which the brain learns (i.e. generalizations and correlations).

To get past these biases you have to "get your foot in the door" of people minds, to get to the point where you have the opportunity, and the time to demonstrate to them that their biased feelings about you are incorrect. Here's what I'd recommend:

1) Find people or organizations that are unbiased. There are plenty of people with less, or no bias, and some that may even have a bias that works in your favor. Work your way up in these circles, getting the most prestigious jobs and associations that you can by doing quality work and showing your value. Build a reputation and get personal referrals from them to make it easier to get your foot in the door with more biased people later on if needed.

2) When dealing with biased people, don't walk into situations with the mindset of "I'm a black woman with mental illness", walk into them thinking, "I'm the right person for this and I'm going to prove it". You may have to do more work than others, but realize that that means that you have to be stronger than the average person to get past them. Be proud of the fact that you're getting stronger than others, instead of feeling sorry for yourself about it.

3) Once you have built up that reputation, you could start making your personal characteristics part of your "personal brand". Be openly proud about being a black woman with mental illness that's built a reputation and gained success. Put it on your webpage, write a book, blog, do interviews, etc.

Note: I'm a white male, but I have a background in neuroscience and psychology and I've experienced and witnessed bias too. I wouldn't directly compare any of my experiences to yours, but hopefully my suggestions might be helpful,

best,

Lee

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