Flourishing Leaders Podcast Episode 28: "Leading with Dignity: Repair, Reconciliation, and Cultures Where Everybody Matters” with Dr. Donna Hicks
What if the most powerful lever for culture change isn’t policy or perks—but dignity?
When leaders treat dignity as non-negotiable (and know the difference between dignity and respect), conflict de-escalates, trust returns, and people bring their best. In this episode, Dr. Scott Parsons and Jason Viyar chat with Harvard’s Dr. Donna Hicks, international conflict facilitator and author of Dignity and Leading with Dignity, shares a clear, practical roadmap for building teams and institutions where everybody truly matters.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
- The crucial distinction: dignity (inherent worth) vs respect (earned) and why it transforms how you lead and resolve conflict.
- How empathy, story, and acknowledgment repair moral injuries and rebuild trust.
- Donna’s Ten Elements of Dignity—what they look like in everyday leadership (identity, recognition, acknowledgment, inclusion, safety, fairness/equity, independence, understanding, benefit of the doubt, accountability).
- How to apologize well (intention vs impact), invite feedback on your blind spots, and create psychological safety.
- Why Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s charge—no one can take your dignity—is both liberating and practical for leaders.
Timestamps
- 00:00 Welcome & Donna’s definition of a flourishing leader
- 05:30 The “human dimension” of conflict—from Harvard to high-stakes diplomacy
- 14:40 Dignity ≠ respect; restoring empathy when it vanishes
- 24:10 The Ten Elements of Dignity in everyday leadership
- 36:30 Apology, accountability, and rebuilding trust
- 44:45 Psychological safety and culture change
- 52:20 “No one can take your dignity”—Tutu’s charge
- 56:30 Final takeaways & next steps
About our guest
Donna Hicks, PhD is an Associate at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; former Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution; and author of Dignity and Leading with Dignity. She has facilitated dialogues in conflicts across the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Cuba, Libya, and Syria, and co-facilitated the BBC series Facing the Truth with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Resources mentioned
- Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict — Donna Hicks
- Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People — Donna Hicks
- BBC’s Facing the Truth (with Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
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Hosted by Dr. Scott Parsons, this podcast explores how character, virtue, wisdom, and purpose can shape a more flourishing life and leadership journey.
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