TOOLKIT: MODULE 1

Redefining Leadership

Shifting biases and reframing who leads.

This module kick-starts the user’s journey into this experience with a quiz to engage them at the individual level, creating conditions for self- reflection, and hopefully illuminating perception biases sectoral leaders may have about for younger leaders.

Bring back the stat
Talk about the consequence of this stat

This part has this many sections and takes this long to complete. We recommend completing this in one sitting for best understanding.

This module contains 3 parts, including 2 activities that will take roughly
~8mins each

⏳ Total expected time for completion for this
module: 25 mins

We recommend completing this section in one sitting for the best understanding.

SECTION 1

Understanding Perception Bias

Perception bias refers to the unconscious judgments or assumptions we make about others based on how we perceive them — often shaped by stereotypes, social norms, or limited exposure. These biases can influence how we see someone's abilities, potential, or “fit,” especially when it comes to age, gender, race, or other identities.

Within board governance, perception bias shows up when young gender-marginalized individuals are overlooked or underestimated — not because of their actual skills or ‘readiness’, but because of unfair stereotypes of the younger generation.

As we begin, we invite you to self-reflect on your
perceptions and understandings of the systemic norms/biases
you may have unconsciously subscribed to.

Perception Bias Quiz (~10 mins)

So, how do these biases manifest as barriers to inclusion?

Now that we have understood our own perception bias, in this next activity, you will explore the connection between perception bias and how social norms lead to structural barriers and exclusion in governance

SECTION 2

Disclaimer: Who is tool for?

This tool is for any individual with knowledge of an organization. When completing the tool, it is important to remember that the focus is on:

Board of Directors

Anyone who is on a governance
board.

Executive Leadership

CEOs and Executive Directors
of a organizations

Hiring Managers

Anyone involved in the hiring or
recruiting of talent

Although the personal experiences of individuals completing the assessment are relevant, the tool is not designed to assess the experiences of individual board members or employees – it is meant for conducting an intensive and comprehensive system-wide organizational assessment.

Instead, it is meant for conducting an intensive and comprehensive system-wide organizational assessment.

The next activity is an internal bias assessment tool designed to help you identify where perception bias might manifest as structural barriers within your organization.

SECTION 2.1: QUIZ

Perception Bias Quiz (~X mins)

SECTION 3

Conclusion

In this module you reflected on your perception of gender-marginalized youth and their capacity to lead in nonprofit governance spaces. You explored your own perception bias and worked to identify how these perceptions can manifest into structural barriers to inclusion in organizational recruitment, culture, and policies.

In the following module, you will apply these insights to assess the structure of your own organization by assessing documents like job postings and by-laws.

Now that you are equipped to solve the consequence/problem we first talked about, let’s continue