CHAPTER 8Retrain Your Brain

Although everyone has his or her performance affected by micromessages, some are affected disproportionately. Women, people of color, and those with disabilities seem to get more than average microinequities. As Maureen Walker, Ph.D., Associate Director, the Harvard Business School, once said to me, “When we show up, we arrive in a body.” People see us and promptly put us through a series of mental filters or checklists. The body we arrive in is what people most readily see: our race, gender, age, attractiveness, and other items that define our visible profile.

The first thing mammals identify is gender. Dogs aren’t exactly discreet in the way they determine this, but it is their first order of business. People often ...

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