Best Christian Workplaces
Many leaders believe diversity creates tension on teams—but the real threat is relational disconnection.
In this episode, Dr. James Borishade, CEO of Circle Urban Ministries, explains how leaders create safety across differences so diverse teams can strengthen—not weaken—mission impact.
Click here to watch the full episode on YouTube.
About This Episode
Why do diverse teams sometimes struggle instead of flourish?
Dr. James Borishade shares how leaders unintentionally create disconnection when team members don’t feel safe contributing their perspective. Drawing from his leadership at Circle Urban Ministries and his book Connecting Across Differences, he explains how humility, curiosity, and listening repair trust and unlock engagement across differences. Leaders will learn practical ways to create space for diverse voices so teams remain unified around shared mission.
Episode Highlights
- 10:10—Why inclusion can’t be mandated—and what actually works instead
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13:05—Why diversity isn’t the real problem—disconnection is
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14:53—How psychological safety quietly disappears in meetings
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18:53—The leadership practice that builds safety across departments
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25:20—Repairing trust starts with humility, not defensiveness
Meet the Guest
Dr. James Borishade is Executive Director and CEO of Circle Urban Ministries in Chicago, where he leads initiatives focused on education, discipleship, leadership development, and community transformation. He is the author of Connecting Across Differences, a framework for helping leaders strengthen relationships across perspectives, experiences, and working styles. His work equips ministry and nonprofit leaders to build cultures where people feel seen, heard, and safe contributing to shared mission outcomes.
Resources Mentioned
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Connecting Across Differences — Dr. James Borishade
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Circle Urban Ministries — circleurban.org
Episode Transcript:
A full, word-for-word transcript of this episode is available here.
Next Steps for Leaders:
Listen to this episode with your leadership team and reflect together:
Where might disconnection—not diversity—be limiting contribution on your team?
Subscribe to Called to Flourish to continue exploring how leaders and workplace cultures can flourish.
