Practicing Humble Advocacy: Listening Before Leading

While researching advocacy recently, I came across a simple but powerful phrase: ‘practice humble advocacy.’

It stopped me in my tracks.

Here’s the full context:

“Equity requires voice and humility. It's important to avoid assumptions and acknowledge your distance from the issue. Ask:

• Whose voices need to be centered?

• How can I support without overshadowing?

• What privilege am I holding, and how can I leverage it with care?”

As someone deeply curious about how we show up for others, especially in systems that weren’t built for everyone, I found myself sitting with this idea. I’d heard of humble inquiry, the practice of asking questions from a place of genuine curiosity and respect, with the intention to listen deeply rather than assume. But humble advocacy? That was new.

And it felt important. So, I did some research.

 

What Is Humble Advocacy?

Humble advocacy means approaching justice work without centering ourselves (when we advocate for justice, fairness, or inclusion, we should not make ourselves the focus of the work, especially if we are not the ones most affected by the issue.)

It’s about using your voice not to lead the conversation, but to amplify the voices of those who are most impacted. It’s acknowledging your own learning edges. It's stepping up with people, not speaking for them.

It also means slowing down. Listening more. Letting go of the urge to fix and instead asking:

• What’s already working here?

• Who is already leading?

• How can I be useful?

That’s when I turned to Appreciative Inquiry, a framework I know and love, rooted in curiosity, connection and the belief that change begins by identifying and building on strengths. Could Appreciative Inquiry offer a path for approaching advocacy with humility and care?

I believe it can.

Appreciative Inquiry and Humble Advocacy: Starting with the Right Questions

Appreciative Inquiry invites us to ask different questions, ones that lift up rather than break down, that build trust rather than extract information.

Here are some Appreciative Inquiry-informed questions that can support a more thoughtful, humble approach to advocacy:

Discovery (What’s working?)

• Who in this community is already doing powerful work?

• What strengths or traditions already support equity here?

• When have people felt heard, respected or uplifted? What made that possible?

  
  

Dream (What’s possible?)

• What would full inclusion or justice look like here?

• What stories do people want to be told about their lives and experiences?

• If change could happen on their terms, what would it look and feel like?

 

Design (How do we support it?)

• What structures, tools or resources could amplify existing efforts?

• How can I be a bridge, not a barrier, to what’s already unfolding?

• What partnerships feel respectful and aligned?

 

Destiny (How do we sustain it?)

• How can I remain accountable in this work?

• What feedback loops are in place to ensure voices remain centered?

• What does long-term support, not just a moment of advocacy, really look like?

  
  

Showing Up Differently

When we approach advocacy through an Appreciative Inquiry lens, we begin by honoring the resilience, creativity and leadership that already exist. We ask questions that invite, rather than impose. We make room for nuance, complexity and joy, not just urgency and struggle.

Humble advocacy asks us to remember: we’re not the main character in someone else’s liberation.

That doesn’t mean we stay silent. It means we speak with care. We share the mic. We do our homework. We ask better questions. And we stay open to the possibility that real support might look different than we expected.

 

Final Reflection

If you’re drawn to advocacy, whether in your workplace, community or around the globe, consider this a gentle invitation:

• Pause before speaking.

• Ask before acting.

• Listen for what’s already alive and strong.

Because when we advocate with humility, we’re not just pushing for change, we’re helping create the kind of relationships and cultures where equity can truly thrive.

I welcome your thoughts on humble advocacy. Send me an email: aderonke@abwilsonconsulting.com