Brave Dialogues: An Essential Leadership Practice to Foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations

The more diverse organizations become, the greater the need for inclusive leadership practices that bring differences to light. In the following chapter, we identify brave dialogues as one “concrete learning practice” that helps employees respond to perceptions of subtle bias or discrimination. The brave dialogue approach derives from our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work with leaders and their teams. We label it “brave” because it requires courage, openness, and vulnerability on the part of the “initiator” and “recipient.” A successful brave dialogue occurs when both parties clarify assumptions and communicate perceptions in the spirit of shared learning. Doing so requires careful attention to power dynamics, conflict styles, and cultural values – organizational and personal. The goal of a brave dialogue is not to produce a one-off solution; rather, to engage with an ongoing practice that deepens trust, increases belongingness, and harnesses differences to advance individual and organizational learning.