Tesla’s former DEI lead has some advice about fear in the workplace
Summary
Kristen Kavanaugh, who led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Tesla from 2019 to 2022, tells HR Dive she learned to prioritise compassion and courage when defending DEI in difficult corporate climates. In a new book, “Courage Over Fear: Harness the Power of Agency to Lead in Uncertain Times,” Kavanaugh and co-author Mike Randolph draw on their Tesla experience to offer practical steps HR leaders can take to keep inclusion work alive even as external and internal pressures rise.
Source
Source: https://www.hrdive.com/news/tesla-dei-kristen-kavanaugh-courage-over-fear/759784/
Key Points
- Kavanaugh built and led Tesla’s DEI function during a turbulent period and later co-wrote a book on leading with agency in uncertain times.
- Main prescription: combine compassion with courage — small, concrete acts of inclusion matter and are manageable for busy leaders.
- Practical first steps include focusing on your immediate team, amplifying voices and simple signals like being diligent about pronouns.
- Despite political and regulatory headwinds, many organisations and shareholders remain supportive of DEI; anti-DEI momentum is not uniform.
- Kavanaugh warns that fear is being used to sustain anti-DEI narratives — pushing back with courageous, measured actions can protect workplace inclusion.
Content summary
Kavanaugh describes joining Tesla from HR and leadership development roles, spotting an appetite for DEI and then inheriting the function after early leaders left. She recounts the arc of Tesla’s public stance — from condemning George Floyd’s murder to later signals that internal sentiment had shifted — and the challenge of preserving the DEI work she and colleagues had started.
Her advice for HR practitioners is tactical and people-centred: you don’t need to overhaul systems overnight. Start with your team, ensure people feel heard, and adopt small inclusive practices that send clear messages about who belongs. She also points to evidence that many shareholders and companies have rejected anti-DEI proposals, suggesting a more mixed landscape than headlines imply.
Context and relevance
The piece lands amid ongoing debates about DEI in the private and public sectors, including executive actions and public backlash in recent years. For HR professionals, Kavanaugh’s account is a real-world case study in maintaining inclusive practices under pressure — relevant to anyone responsible for people strategy, culture or compliance.
Why should I read this?
Short version: if you look after people at work and don’t fancy watching your inclusion gains evaporate, this is worth five minutes. Kavanaugh’s tips are practical (not preachy), easy to try tomorrow and grounded in actual workplace experience at a high-profile employer. It’s the sort of read that saves you time — quick, actionable and morale-friendly.
Author’s take
Punchy and pragmatic: the article turns a headline issue into immediate actions HR teams can use. If you’re trying to keep DEI meaningful in a noisy environment, Kavanaugh’s blend of compassion and courage is a useful playbook.