Perspective matters. Entrepreneur and marketing whiz Gary Vaynerchuck advises younger people to spend time with the elderly and volunteer in a nursing home if for no other reason than to learn from them. People who’ve lived long lives have perspectives that many of us are still working on.
I offer my FSU students an opportunity to “ask me anything” that has to do with school, work, life, or whatever is on their minds. I’m 40 years ahead of them in life, have multiple successful careers, built a business, and raised a family. Fewer than 15% take advantage of the opportunity to attend an AMA session. I guess we can look back on our 20s and recall that we once thought we knew it all.
We’re coming through a presidential election that was particularly bruising and divisive.
Odds are that half of you reading this are not happy with the outcome. Historically, most of our presidential elections produce similar outcomes. We remain a nation divided largely over matters of fundamental principles: will capitalism or liberalism prevail? Today, we know much more about what was said by a political foe to whom and the context in which it was said nearly instantly. The movement of information and disinformation has amplified the underlying dynamic of a nation that cannot get its arms around the government’s balance of capitalism and social issues.
I observe that most business leaders are loath to discuss politics publicly, primarily for two reasons. First, they fear an HR issue will arise when discussing a polarizing topic. Second, they can’t afford to appear to alienate a portion of their workforce. These are reasonable concerns. However, for those companies selling to the federal government, having conversational knowledge and even fluency in the bigger picture is essential. Your reality is that, at the leadership level, your customer lives with the effects of the ever-present political dynamics. Consider elevating and elongating your perspective so that you can speak to the dynamics without using the immediate grievance du jour as an example.
I recently listened to a 40-minute podcast where guest historian Gary Gerstle ably and objectively describes how the United States has been in tension for at least the last 100 years as the political order continues to change. He was interviewed by Ezra Klein of the New York Times. Ignore any bias you may have of the Times as it’s not relevant. Gerstle describes a political order as something that is larger than the day-to-day issues and unfolds over the course of decades. We have lived through two since The Great Depression, the 1930s-1970s and the 1980s-2010s.
He explains how we are amidst a change in order today.
His book, The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order, sounds like a mouthful but is now on my must-read list. I was riveted by the author’s objectivity in explaining how our nation continues to evolve.
Issues such as international trade, our industrial base, The New Deal, and conservatism have been part of the platforms of both major parties over time. Out of each period of political order came unique opportunities. Would you have attributed the rise of the information technology industry as an outgrowth of the Cold War for example? Our nation’s strategic blunder to take on two wars in the Middle East stoked much of the chaos and dissent around the world now decades later. I served in parts of each and feel qualified to call it like it was—a blunder.
Our short-sightedness and focus on issues and grievances so near to us can inhibit our perspective on what’s unfolding in the long term. The presidential election was rife with ill-informed positions, accusations, name-calling, threats, challenges, undercurrents, and negativity. None of that helps. Sadly, it won’t go away unless we (1) change our expectations and (2) apply some perspective.
In my local Navy League council, I have access to the counsel of men and women who’ve seen a lot over their lifetimes.
Sailors who served in every major conflict since World War II, including one board member who is 93 but is as fit as any 60-year-old I know. We don’t agree on everything, but we respect the opinions of others, and we acknowledge that their service over considerably more time offers a unique perspective worthy of consideration.
For those leading organizations, don’t shy away from difficult conversations. You are far more prepared to talk in a civil and measured manner about any topic than you may concede. Your people will respect your perspective if it’s grounded in fact. That may require some homework on your part. I’ve asked before where you get your news and information from. Leaders must pull from a myriad of sources and references.
Are you stretching your own perspective?
Do your people assess that you are open or closed?
Calcium deposits form over time. Are you calcifying in place?
