How the smartest companies win by choosing talent over bias

Instead of defaulting to what looks right, focus on what is right, writes Vinisha Rathod.

It’s human to gravitate towards people who feel familiar. We rely on social and economic pedigree, polish, likeability, and proximity to gauge whether someone is credible. They went to the same schools. Worked in the same industries. Speak the same language of success. But what if those signals are pulling you away from your brightest talent?

The commercial cost of bias is enormous. Every hiring decision made from comfort over capability erodes your innovation edge. Every time we hire for familiarity, not potential, we miss the very people who could transform our teams. The smartest leaders I know and work with understand this.

Yet here’s what I still see, especially in Australia: hiring filtered through postcode and experience-only thinking. Too often, decisions hinge on where someone has worked, not what they’re capable of. And that’s a problem. There’s an old analogy: if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it’s incapable. The same happens at work. In many companies, we’re still assessing talent using a one-size-fits-all test: can they “climb the tree”? Be visible. Work full-time. Be client-facing. Fit the mould. Who decided who designed work as we know it now?

Maybe you need dolphins who are nimble, cross-functional thinkers who thrive in motion. Or deep-sea fish people who prefer working behind the scenes but are masters of complexity. You don’t ask the fish to climb. You test for their strength in water.

That’s how you build teams fit for the environment you’re creating, not the one designed by a group years ago!

Smart companies challenge outdated models. They design for outcomes, not optics or politics. They understand that the future of work doesn’t sit in one box. I recently spoke to an executive overseeing a group of successful businesses. He told me, “V, the best talent I know, only wants to work three days a week. So, I stopped trying to force full-time contracts. I give them a brilliant day rate, and they deliver.” He also shared how two new mothers on his team proposed job sharing. “It was a no-brainer,” he said. “They’re efficient, focused, and have no time for games.”

This isn’t about being nice or giving charity. It’s commercially intelligent hiring, especially as technology becomes a stronger driving force. The World Economic Forum’s 2023 DEI Lighthouses report showcases how high-performing companies embed equity into their systems, not only their values:

1. Bias-free hiring tools

Accenture adopted a “skills first” model that prioritises capability over credentials. It opened doors for women, neurodiverse talent and culturally diverse professionals.

“We’ve increased access to opportunity and strengthened our workforce.”

2. Inclusive leadership training

Mahindra Group trained 4,000-plus leaders in empathy and bias-aware decision making. The result? Higher internal promotion rates for underrepresented groups.

“DEI became a business capability, not an HR initiative.”

3. Real-time DEI dashboards

Mastercard built a quarterly Inclusion Index tracking pay equity, progression, and sentiment alongside financial metrics.

“Our DEI data sits beside our revenue reports. That’s commitment.”

These companies aren’t being performative. They’re being competitive. So where do you start?

• Revisit your hiring briefs. Are you recruiting for pedigree or potential?
• Replace “years of experience” filters with skills-based assessments. Look for diamonds in the rough.
• Ask: How will this person stretch us?
• Create flexible role structures: job sharing, part-time, or remote-first.
• Equip leaders to recognise potential in unexpected places, not only familiar ones.

Instead of defaulting to what looks right, focus on what is right. Build for outcomes. Hire for capability. Promote based on contribution.

Vinisha Rathod is an author, keynote speaker, adviser, and founder of P3 Studio.