Mind Games

It’s amazing to think about how much of our perception is shaped by subconscious filters and biases. These filters and biases can have a profound impact on our personal and professional relationships, and it’s important to understand how they are formed and how they affect our lives.

Let’s start by talking about personal relationships. Our subconscious programming is formed by our beliefs, values, and assumptions that we have acquired throughout our lives. These beliefs can be influenced by a variety of factors, including our upbringing, experiences, and cultural background. If we grow up in an environment where emotions are not expressed openly, we may develop a subconscious bias against emotional vulnerability, which can lead to communication breakdowns in our personal relationships.

For example, Sarah grew up in a family where emotions were not discussed openly. As a result, she developed a subconscious bias against emotional vulnerability, which impacted her relationships as an adult. Whenever her partner would try to express their feelings, Sarah would shut down, causing misunderstandings and arguments. It wasn’t until she went to couples’ therapy and used simulation-based assessment tools that she was able to recognize her subconscious bias and work on improving her communication skills.

The impact of subconscious biases on personal relationships can be significant, but it’s not limited to just that. Subconscious filters can also have an impact on sales and team management. In sales, for instance, a salesperson’s subconscious biases can affect their ability to build rapport with customers, potentially leading to lost sales.

For example, Jack grew up in a family where he was constantly told that people from certain backgrounds were not trustworthy. This led him to develop a subconscious bias against people from those backgrounds, which impacted his sales performance. Whenever he encountered a customer from one of those backgrounds, Jack would subconsciously put up a barrier, making it difficult for him to build a rapport and close the sale. It wasn’t until he participated in a simulation-based role-playing exercise that he was able to recognize his biases and work on improving his sales performance.

Similarly, in team management, our subconscious biases can impact our decision-making and lead to unfair treatment of certain individuals or groups. This can have a negative impact on the overall culture of the organization and lead to a lack of diversity and inclusion.

For example, Emily is a manager at a tech company. She grew up in a family where she was constantly told that men were better at technical jobs than women. This led her to develop a subconscious bias against women in tech, which impacted her hiring decisions. Even though she was aware of the importance of diversity and inclusion, her subconscious programming was affecting her decision-making. It wasn’t until she participated in a simulation-based diversity and inclusion training program that she was able to recognize her biases and work on addressing them.

In conclusion, mental perception filters and biases are formed in our subconscious programming and can have a profound impact on our personal and professional relationships. Simulation-based assessment tools can be incredibly effective in helping individuals become more aware of their biases and work on addressing them. By recognizing and challenging our biases, we can build stronger relationships, improve sales performance, and create a more inclusive and productive environment for everyone.