Dolly Chugh

We fear conflict at work. But research shows that while conflict can feel bad, it does not have to. In fact, says Dolly Chugh, award-winning NYU professor, conflict is not necessarily the opposite of collaboration; it is the fuel for collaboration (or as Chugh calls it, “conflaboration,” her term for unique teamwork that’s driven by healthy differences).  Especially in environments depending on teams and/or teaming, the ability to effectively name differences and navigate them, rather than suppress them, is central to psychological safety and excellence. In this interactive talk, Chugh breaks down the different types of conflict and tools for navigating it, offering each attendee insights on how to make the most of conflict at work.

Many of us believe in core values such as diversity, equity and inclusion. But how do we stand up for those values in an effective way in today’s turbulent world? Bestselling author and NYU professor Dolly Chugh’s research reveals that one surprising cause of inequality often stems from the psychology of “good people.” In this talk, based on her bestselling book “The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias” (2018), Chugh leads us to recognize that our internal labels can lead to defensiveness and miscommunication. Calling us all to action, she emphasizes the critical conclusion that we must re-define a “good person” to a “good-ish person,” someone willing to make mistakes, learn and grow. Chugh’s “real, raw, and standing-ovation worthy” live and virtual presentations utilize experiential learning and decades of ethics research to provide a methodology for fighting bias that can be deployed in all aspects of your life.

Studies have proven that leaders who intentionally build inclusivity and psychological safety at every organizational level achieve better results and have more productive teams. Through demonstrations, interactive sessions and a refreshing honesty about her life, bestselling author and NYU professor Dolly Chugh welcomes leaders to explore psychological concepts that often escape standard leadership presentations. Drawing on concepts taught in her top-rated management and leadership classes, her bestselling book “The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias” (2018) and her latest book, “A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with Our Past and Driving Social Change” (October 2022), Chugh invites leaders to physically feel the differences between growth and fixed mindsets, wrestle with paradox, dive into simulations of power structures, and more. Anyone seeking the knowledge and skills necessary to incorporate advanced leadership techniques in their organizations and themselves – including facilitating more inclusive meetings, listening and coaching more effectively, and leveraging stress, among other tools – will find Chugh’s leadership toolkit indispensable.

The need for psychological safety is more urgent than ever. Creating a climate where employees share, rather than withhold their ideas, questions, concerns and mistakes, is central to almost every form of excellence organizations and teams are striving for, ranging from innovation to inclusion. Everyone wants psychological safety; only some know how to build it. In this high-energy, high substance how-to session, award-winning NYU professor Dolly Chugh builds on cutting edge research from pioneers like Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School) with stories, insights and tools for building the norms, coaching, feedback and listening practices necessary to psychological safety. Perfect for leaders of all levels, Chugh’s guidance is both actionable and invaluable.

“Those who do not reckon with the past are destined to repeat it.” NYU professor and social psychologist Dolly Chugh seeks to alter our cyclical timeline by uncovering the origins of racial harm in our collective past. Seeing that the horror of racial injustice in American history can generate feelings of shame, guilt, disbelief and resistance, Chugh introduces us to the science of reckoning with our complicated past. Sprinkled with honest, personal histories and practical advice adapted from her latest book, “A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning with Our Past and Driving Social Change” (October 2022), Chugh invites us to dismantle the systems built by our ancestors and work toward a more just future together.