Would you let politics silence your applause?
Early in my corporate career, I worked with a brilliant leader who had all the qualities of someone who should have advanced. He was polished, articulate, kind, educated and highly respected by employees. Yet, despite his qualifications, he was passed over for executive roles.
I was just 34 with no field experience and a psychology degree when I was hired as his boss. One day, in a conversation with my boss about succession for my role, I suggested this individual as a strong candidate. Without hesitation, my boss said it wouldn’t fly, “Because of the way he speaks.”
I must have looked confused because he continued, explaining that this leader’s slight accent made him “unfit” for an officer role. My heart sank. This man had done everything right—worked hard, led well, and embodied excellence—yet bias, not discernment, dictated his career ceiling. In a company where leadership constantly talked about diversity and inclusion, but that’s all it was—talk.
That moment changed me
I realized how implicit bias operates beneath the surface, shaping decisions we might not even recognize. I vowed to never allow it to dictate my leadership and to take inventory of my own biases, even the ones I was unaware of.
But this isn’t just my story—it’s a call for every Christian business leader to reflect. Look at your boardroom, your direct reports, your hiring practices, your inner circle. Is there true diversity? If not, is that because of discernment or bias?
For years, businesses have wrestled with these same questions. DEI was supposed to be the solution—ensuring fairness and opportunity. But today, many companies are walking away from it. Why? Because bias crept in from another direction.
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) started with the right intentions—fairness and opportunity, ensuring workplaces where talent could thrive regardless of background. But over time, many DEI initiatives drifted from merit-based principles to ideological enforcement—favoring quotas over qualifications, exclusion over inclusion, and politics over productivity. As a result, many business leaders have rejected DEI, leading to its implosion.
We saw bias in action at the Presidential Address to Congress when political division caused some to refuse to applaud even simple human moments—like a child with cancer being honored as an honorary Secret Service agent. That little boy reached out to hug the agent standing beside him, and every person in the room should have stood in support. But many sat, motionless—even stoic.
Bias clouds our ability to engage with truth
As Christian business leaders, we must strive for discernment over bias. In 1 Samuel 16, when God sent Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, Samuel assumed Eliab was the chosen one based on his appearance. But God corrected him: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Samuel listened to God’s discernment rather than human assumptions and anointed David—the least likely candidate, but the one God had chosen.
The takeaway:
- Discernment seeks wisdom, truth and God’s guidance before making a judgment.
- Bias allows preconceived notions to cloud judgment.
Let’s be leaders who challenge bias—including our own—so that we make room for God’s wisdom, integrity, and truth in every decision we make.
