Intergroup Dialogue Training Hub (InDi Training Hub)

Building the skills to lead through complexity, conflict, and change

The Courageous Leadership Lab is a cohort-based leadership development experience designed to help faculty, staff, and campus leaders strengthen the skills needed to navigate difficult conversations, build trust, and lead across differences.

The Lab focuses on developing more thoughtful, relational, and values-driven approaches to leadership—helping participants move from reacting to challenges toward engaging them with greater awareness, confidence, and collaboration.

What We Focus On

Participants build capacity across four interconnected areas:

• Awareness — Understanding how identity, power, emotions, and leadership dynamics shape interactions and decision-making.
• Dialogue — Listening across differences, asking generative questions, and engaging in meaningful conversations.
• Relationships — Building trust, psychological safety, and stronger connections across teams and communities.
• Leadership Skills — Navigating conflict, communicating with care, and translating values into action.

From Conflict Avoidance to Courageous Collaboration

The Courageous Leadership Lab helps leaders shift from being:

Fearful → Open to possibility
Reactive → Proactive
Individually focused → Collectively and systemically focused
Conflict avoidant → Open to generative conflict and courageous collaboration

Learning Through Practice

The Lab combines interactive learning, dialogue, reflection, coaching, and real-world application. Participants explore topics such as psychological safety, navigating conflict, values-based decision-making, identity and positionality, difficult conversations, and collaborative leadership.

Ultimately, the Courageous Leadership Lab creates a community of leaders who are better prepared to engage complexity, strengthen relationships, and help build more inclusive and connected learning and working environments across UMD.