My mentor, Stephen K. Hall, who passed away long ago, warned me that overcoming bias, the tendency for how people think and act, would be my greatest career challenge. Bias permeates society, organizations, and particularly impacts the science needed to make informed safety and health decisions. 

Steve held several academic degrees, including a Ph.D. with honors in chemistry from Harvard. When the May 2015 issue of Harvard Business Review was released that focused on articles on “How to outsmart your biases and broaden your thinking,” I devoured the information to renew Steve’s teaching and confirm my success/failure to follow his wisdom.