WTS

DEI-in-Motion: Building Brave Spaces

WTS Boston December DEI
Be Brave Art Print | Brave, Word art drawings, Wonderful words (pinterest.com)

Safe space is a common practice when entering challenging conversations, particularly around DE&I. While the ‘safe space’ concept is very helpful in different settings, it can also be limiting in getting people to step out of their comfort zones and lean into difficult discussions. Cultivating a brave space is an emerging strategy to navigating conversations and encouraging meaningful participation throughout. “Creating a brave space allows managers the freedom to admit that there are things they don’t know about minority employees, but that there is room to ask questions,” – Mary-Frances Winters.

The WTS-Boston Diversity Committee aims to raise awareness to the value of creating brave spaces between managers and their employees. As we advance DE&I in our industry, we encourage everyone to continuously engage in conversations in a brave manner to better build trust, improve engagement, and retain diverse team members. Below is a recommended conversation framework and additional resources to begin the process of building trust and a brave space or culture within your organizations.

The BRAVING Inventory

  • BOUNDARIES: Setting boundaries is making clear what’s okay and what’s not okay, and why.
  • RELIABILITY: You do what you say you’ll do. At work, this means staying aware of your competencies and limitations, so you don’t overpromise and are able to deliver on commitments and balance competing priorities.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: You own your mistakes, apologize, and make amends.
  • VAULT: You don’t share information or experiences that are not yours to share. I need to know that my confidences are kept, and that you’re not sharing with me any information about other people that should be confidential.
  • INTEGRITY: Choosing courage over comfort; choosing what’s right over what’s fun, fast, or easy; and practicing your values, not just professing them.
  • NONJUDGMENT: I can ask for what I need, and you can ask for what you need. We can talk about how we feel without judgment.
  • GENEROSITY: Extending the most generous interpretation to the intentions, words, and actions of others.

See more here and through resources provided below for more details about brave spaces!

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