159 : Unconscious Bias w/ Lauren Lathrop of Mill City Roasters

What we think and how we act are inextricably linked. In the world of hospitality how our views and assumption about others influences everything form how we serve customers -to who we promote to leadership positions in the cafe. A large part of what contributes to our behavior is actually under the radar and as such goes unaddressed. Today we making a conscious effort to tackle and talk about unconscious bias w/ special guest , Lauren Lathrop of Mill City Roasters! Lauren works as part of the education team at Mill City Roasters in Minneapolis, where she recently moved after 10 years in Portland, OR. She is an Authorized SCA Trainer, a Head Judge for the United States Barista Championship, and a certified judge for both the World Barista and World Brewers Cup Competitions. She has worked in the coffee industry for over 12 years as a barista, assistant manager, and retail coffee educator. She has also competed in Barista Competitions, earning a spot in the finals at the 2012 Northwest Regional Barista Competition. She now serves as Vice Chair for the US Barista Competitions Committee and has developed a number of new training programs for competitions, including an Unconscious Bias Training for Judges. In todays episode you will learn about: The evolution of the Unconscious Bias Training and its impact on the competitions Our tendencies for bias in customer serve and in the shop Why unconscious bias is not intrinsically bad What can do to address it personally What we can do to address it systemically Helpful mindsets to adopt in the journey to explore unconsious bias LINKS: www.millcityroasters.com Lauren's email: Lauren@millcityroasters.com