EQUITY IN ACTION: MODULE 1

Reimagining Leadership

Shifting biases and reframing who leads.

With this module, we kick-start the process of redefining your leadership by learning about perception bias and internal bias—both of which significantly impact your board’s capacity to engage with young and marginalised leaders.

For the best understanding, we recommend completing this module in one sitting.

Sections

3

Activities

2 (~ 8 mins each)

Estimated Time

~ 20 mins

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.

MODULE 1.1

Understanding Perception Bias

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

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

Disclaimer: Who is this tool for?

MODULE 1.2

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 Directors

    Anyone who is on a governance board.

  • Executive Leadership

    CEOs and Executive Directors of organizations.

  • Hiring Managers

    Anyone involved in hiring or talent recruitment.

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.

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.

Internal Bias Assessment

MODULE 1.3

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 organization by evaluating documents like job postings and bylaws.

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