Brave Conversations About The Levant

I don’t believe the internet in any form is a good place to discuss what is going on in Western Asia or what some incorrectly call the Middle East. The public square has never been designed for reasoned discourse and social media has only amplified that.

The conflicts in Israel predate the Oct 7th 2023 events that shaped the current discord happening in Gaza/Palestine, as well as the border conflict in Lebanon and beyond. It is a long complex history with no easy solution despite numerous hashtags and emojis.

That said, I do believe it is possible to have reasoned, or what I called BRAVE discussions in the workplace specifically about the impact of this conflict on employees, without it being a binary match of who can shout the loudest.

Many senior leaders approach me on how to navigate this at work.
Many are scared about offending.
Questions I am asked include
- What is the difference between anti-zionism and antisemitism?
- Is the Palestinian cause Muslim or Arab Nationalist?
- Is work the place to discuss this?
- Can social media policies be implemented to prevent staff from posting about this conflict?

It is not an issue that we can sweep under the carpet and ignore, especially as it has impacted many organisations and individuals that work for them.

Without minimising or trivialising the advice or coaching support I have given and continue to give on this, there are three things I believe are necessary to speak on this at work.

1. TRUST. A conversation can only begin if it is safe to do so. Clear rules of engagement as to what this looks like and where these conversations can happen are paramount
2. FOCUS. This is a very emotive subject and it is easy to argue the person rather than the point. A specific focus of conversation has to be determined before any conversation starts
3. RESPECT. Again a conversation can only happen if there is respect. People need to be aware of language, tone and boundaries for a brave conversation.

I always advise BRAVE Conversations to start with LOVE (Good intent), to LISTEN (active listening), to have clarity on LANGUAGE (understand what someone is saying) and then LEVERAGE these three into ongoing conversations.

As I say to all clients, it’s not easy but it is doable. If you are one such leader who needs a sounding board to have such conversations feel free to book some time in with me. https://lnkd.in/eANg7xG2

If not, then I hope these questions and considerations help you to navigate what is becoming an unavoidable point of conversation at work.

Photo by Antenna on Unsplash