Coaching for Leaders10 Mar 2025

724: How to Bring Out the Best in People, with Donna Hicks

Donna Hicks: Leading with Dignity

Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and the former Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR). She has facilitated dialogues in numerous unofficial diplomatic efforts and was a consultant to the BBC in Northern Ireland, where she co-facilitated a television series, Facing the Truth, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She is the author of Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict and Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People*.

Everyone wants to be treated in a way that shows they matter. We may differ in status, but we are all equal in dignity. In this episode, Donna and I explore how appreciating dignity can help us bring out the best in people.

Key Points

Everyone wants to be treated in a way that shows they matter.
Dignity is different from respect. Everyone has dignity, but not everyone deserves respect.
A major misconception of dignity is that we receive our worth from external sources.
We’re at our best when connected to our own dignity, connected to the dignity of others, and connected to the dignity of something bigger.
Start with vulnerability and empathy. These open the doors to connecting with your own dignity and the dignity of others.
We may differ in status, but we are all equal in dignity.

Resources Mentioned

Dignity: It’s Essential Role in Resolving Conflict* by Donna Hicks
Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People* by Donna Hicks

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

How to Get Way Better at Accepting Feedback, with Sheila Heen (episode 143)
Use Power for Good and Not Evil, with Dacher Keltner (episode 254)
Help People Show Up as Themselves, with Frederic Laloux (episode 580)

Discover More

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(792)

789: The Counterintuitive Secret to Creativity and Focus, with David Epstein

David Epstein: Inside the Box David Epstein is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Range and The Sports Gene, both of which have been translated into more than 30 languages. He was previous...

29 Jun 39min

788: How to Work with Poisonous People, with Leanne ten Brinke

Leanne ten Brinke: Poisonous People Leanne ten Brinke is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, where she directs the Truth and Trust Lab. Her research investigates trust, decep...

22 Jun 39min

787: Better Leadership Through Humor, with Chris Duffy

Chris Duffy: Humor Me Chris Duffy is an award-winning podcaster, comedian, and television writer. He hosts the podcast How to Be a Better Human and you can find his comedic TED talk, “How to find laug...

15 Jun 38min

786: The Problem with Reorgs and How to Do Better, with Phil Le-Brun

Phil Le-Brun: The Octopus Organization Phil Le-Brun is an executive in residence at Amazon Web Services and a former corporate VP and international CIO at the McDonald’s Corporation. He is a sought-af...

8 Jun 37min

785: Make Your Task List Work for You, with Liane Davey

Liane Davey: Thoughtload For the past 25 years, Liane Davey has researched and advised teams on how to achieve high performance. She is the author of You First and The Good Fight and is a regular cont...

1 Jun 39min

784: How to Protect the Organization You Love, with Eric Ries

Eric Ries: Incorruptible Eric Ries is the creator of the Lean Startup method, and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup, The Leader’s Guide, and The Startup Way. Over the last t...

25 Mai 38min

783: How to Take Back Your Evenings, with Guy Winch

Guy Winch: Mind Over Grind Guy Winch is a psychologist and bestselling author who advocates for integrating the science of emotional health into our daily lives. His TED talks have attracted over 35 m...

18 Mai 38min

782: How to Help a Team Get Unstuck, with Gustavo Razzetti

Gustavo Razzetti: Forward Talk Gustavo Razzetti is a culture change instigator, speaker, and CEO of Fearless Culture, a culture design consultancy. He helps leaders build teams that talk about what ma...

11 Mai 38min