How far you rise as a leader – in today’s modern inclusive workplace – now depends upon how free of unconscious bias you are. (You can check out your unconscious bias in 1-Minute for free here.)

BIAS is like a mouse-trap, where the cheese is your favorite stereotype.

By stereotype, I mean the automatic reaction you have to someone who holds an opinion which differs from yours on any subject, or someone who belongs to a different political group, who comes from a different culture, minority group or “tribe.”

According to Psychology Today, everyone has unconscious bias. The unsettling truth the magazine reports is that “We have met the enemy of equality and the enemy is us.”

Even people who makes friends easily or who are on a fast-track to the C-Suite use stereotypes to instantly categorize (stereotype) what other people think, say, or do.

If you’re interested in discovering what your personal bias is, and willing to let it go, then check out these three easy techniques:

Journaling. Create an imaginary dialogue with a person who may “trigger” a reaction from you. Start writing in your journal with a simple question such as: “I’m curious why you to (this)” or “I’ve been told (this) what do you think?” Then begin writing the response you imagine they would give. Continue the dialogue until you discover the unconscious bias and resolve to release it.

Catch and Release: Make a decision to stay fully present and mindful in the presence of someone you’re talking to who thinks or acts differently than you Ask for their opinion, then listen deeply to their response. Notice where discomfort shows up in your body language and then tell them what you are feeling and why.

Look for the GAPS: Use this 1-Minute free 10TRAITS tool to rate yourself and the other person. Look for the GAPS and then follow the conversation starters to shift your focus from the individual to an appreciation of and respect for their trait differences.

Check out 10TRAITS Summer Courses here. They’re online, self paced and include mentorship.

Alexia Parks, inventor of the Gender Equality Tool and G.E.T. Smarter Together 1-Minute Learning Tool, is Founder and CEO of 10TRAITS Leadership Institute, a non-profit.