Insight
Know Who You Are
A personal reflection on identity, diversity, privilege, and bias. Understanding who you are and where you come from is the foundation for leading others. Originally published on Just Thoughts #27.
Too long; did read
- • There is power in understanding who you are and where you come from.
- • We are all biased. What matters is understanding how that affects the world around us.
- • Sharing your identity is about striving for connection, not uniqueness.
- • Ask yourself: would the world be better if everyone had the same effect on it?
- • Mitigating bias is often warranted by historical injustice, but be careful labeling intuition as bias.
- • Identity evolves. Who you were 15 years ago is part of your story, not the whole of it.
Five Dimensions of Self-Awareness
Themes distilled from a personal introduction exercise for leaders.
Acknowledge Your Privileges
Understand the advantages your background gives you. Being cisgender, able-bodied, white, or male comes with societal biases that work in your favor. Naming them is not guilt; it is clarity.
Understand Your Biases
We are all biased. What matters is understanding how those biases affect the world around you. Ask yourself: is this a world humanity will remember as progressive?
Know Where You Come From
Your identity is shaped by heritage, language, immigration history, and culture. A son of an immigrant who is a son of an immigrant carries layers of identity that inform how you see the world.
Strive for Connection, Not Uniqueness
Sharing your identity is not about standing out. It is about acknowledging that regardless of how we are different, we are all still human. Polarization highlights uniqueness; connection builds bridges.
Identity Evolves Over Time
You may have once been an athlete, a student, or identified with a company. Identities shift. What once defined you entirely may become just a chapter. What matters is who you are choosing to become.
"Regardless of how we are different, we're all still human."