Our behaviour is impacted by the assumptions, biases and stereotypes (positive and negative) that exist in our subconscious. We tend to believe that we are seeing everything in its complete form, however, it's not possible for us to see the world as it is. Instead, we see the world through the lens of our experiences, biases and various identity factors. As a result, the assumptions we hold shape the decisions that we make, but these decisions may be creating unequal outcomes for our employees. For leaders, it is important to be aware of how our experiences, influenced by intersecting factors, can influence the way in which we communicate, how we approach and resolve conflict and ultimately how we lead. This course presents an introduction to unconscious bias and provides strategies to challenge our assumptions, improve our policies and create an inclusive workplace.
Thursday, June 15: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Virtual)
Location:
ONLINE
Instructor:
Heather MacNeil
Notes:
This is an online course with one 3-Hour session.
Instructors
Heather MacNeil
Heather is a results-driven Human Resources professional with over 30 years of progressive corporate experience, 25 of which were with Bank of Montreal. Heather is an exemplary leader who has served as an integral part of Senior Management Teams and has successfully led major Human Resources projects and program initiatives – from the business up to the enterprise level.
A strategic thinker, passionate leader of change and an effective communicator and facilitator, she excels in fast paced and changing work environments and in addition to building and maintaining strong relationships, she has broad coaching and leadership experience both corporately as well as in a wide array of charitable and community organizations. For the past 11 years she has been a career and life transition coach both privately and for Felix Global Corp. supporting clients at all levels including executive.
In addition to her coaching practice, she has drawn on her vast facilitation experience, providing leadership and Human Resources training to a variety of corporate clients including Loblaw Group of Companies, Bell Canada, Blackberry, Region of Peel, Bank of Montreal, Astrazeneca, CIBC, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Scotiabank, Mohawk College Enterprise, BDC, TD Bank, Algoma Steel, First Ontario Credit Union, City of Hamilton and Peel Leadership Center to name a few.
Giving back to her community is very important to Heather. With 30 years of experience in the Not For Profit sector, she currently sits on the Board of ART for Cancer Foundation. Other previous board memberships include the International Institute of Business Analysts, Alzheimer Society of Canada, Alzheimer Society of Ontario and Community Outreach for Persons with Addictions. She has also served in an advisory capacity with numerous councils and charities, including Junior Achievement of Ontario, Junior Achievement of Canada and The Learning Partnership and has found time to mentor students at Dalhousie, Ryerson and McMaster Universities. For the last 10 years, as a volunteer mentor with Futurepreneur, she has supported seven different young entrepreneurs in Guelph, Oakville, St. Catharines and Welland, Ontario.
Heather received her BA and BEd from the University of Western Ontario in London. While she lived in Mississauga with her husband and family for 34 years she now calls Niagara on the Lake home. In her spare time she undertakes extensive home and garden restoration projects, walks her two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, practices yoga and writes feature articles and poetry.
