Stories from Leadership Journeys
Travelogs
Boldly Go: An Integrated Leadership Framework for Cultivating Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is the destination, and we achieve it by engaging in a continuous process grounded in two core pillars:
Courage (Brave Space): The collective willingness to lean into discomfort, to take interpersonal risks, and to engage in productive conflict. This is the foundation upon which all real growth is built.
Cultural Intelligence (CQ): The learnable skill set that enables leaders and teams to navigate cultural differences with respect, empathy, and efficacy. This is what allows courage to be channeled into productive action, rather than well-intentioned missteps.
This integrated approach represents a paradigm shift from simply trying to "be safe" by leaning on oversimplified checklists or ill-conceived quick fixes, and toward the sustained work of actively cultivating a culture of brave, culturally intelligent engagement and establishing a sustainable and equitable foundation for your team's success.
Is Psychological Safety Enough? Why Your Journey to a Human-Centered Culture is Falling Short
Despite its many upsides, many people presume that I am critical of the notion of psychological safety, especially since I've spent years critiquing the notion of "safe space." In fact, I am not only a proponent of psychological safety; I see it as a truly worthwhile destination. It's an essential state for any organization aiming to thrive in the modern world. The problem, as I see it, is not the destination itself, but the journey to get there. As leaders, we often try to achieve this state without the right tools, and in the process, we encounter persistent challenges that can derail our progress.
Charting a Course to Psychological Safety with Brave Space and Cultural Intelligence
Leaders can successfully navigate the journey to psychological safety in diverse teams when equipped with the right tools: a deliberate process for engaging in difficult dialogue and a navigational system for understanding and adapting to cultural differences.
The Courage to Be Afraid: Navigating Fear in Brave Spaces
Bravery isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the antidote.
The Power of the Pivot: Why Career Transitions are an Act of Self-Liberation for QTBIPOC
For QTBIPOC leaders, career transitions can be profoundly liberating acts. In this blog post, I explore how facing down fears—of failure, rejection, and uncertainty—paved the way for me to build a career truly aligned with my authentic self.
Travelin’ Thru: Launching the Brave Space Leadership Blog
The journey to launch this blog has been a long and winding road.
Several years ago, I started talking with my dear friend and collaborator Kristi Clemens about a follow-up to our chapter on brave space …