Challenge stereotypical thinking

Leaders who successfully lead diverse talent have the courage to challenge the biased thinking of others. Negative comments and jokes targeting specific groups are squelched; and micro-aggressions are called out, not ignored. I was once in the presence of a leader who suggested that what was interpreted by one leader as abrasive (in his reference to an African American female leader) could also be interpreted as confidence. His comment totally shifted the tone and direction of the conversation.