Leading in outrageous times

Anywhere you look online, it’s easy to get the impression that things in our country are going from bad to worse. It seems that the cynical old news maxim “If it bleeds, it leads” has morphed into something more like “Upstage with outrage.” In fact, media observers are talking about addiction to what’s been called “outrage porn” — any type of media designed to evoke anger and indignation for the purpose of getting clicks.

And the outrage is getting worse. For all the many benefits of social media and related technologies, they encourage people to cluster in like-minded echo chambers, where their feelings tend to become more entrenched and extreme. And when people do encounter differing opinions — such as on gun control, to pick a timely and particularly maddening example — interacting through screens all too often leads to insults, provocations and threats. Psychologists call this “online disinhibition,” the lack of normal social control and restraint so commonly seen online.

As an avid consumer of news and pop culture, I’m far from immune to all that negativity. But as a CEO, I feel a responsibility to help people learn to be their best selves, both individually and in communities. In fact, it’s what I aspire to. So how can emerging leaders — across industries — reverse this trend? How can we tamp down the outrage, encourage intelligent and civil discourse, and get people working together for good?

My work gives me plenty of opportunities to connect with young leaders who are rising to the challenge of shaping 21st century organizations and communities. Call me idealistic, but the ones I admire most are those who help people see beyond what divides them — drawing on what Lincoln famously called “the better angels of our nature.”

To start to chip away at the media-inflamed polarization in our country, these emerging leaders begin with the basics: Rather than merely paying lip service to inclusiveness, they have the emotional intelligence to understand why it matters on every level. They recognize that sexist behavior is disrespectful and detrimental. They understand that age is a number, not a verdict, and that people of any generation can make valuable contributions if given the chance. And they know that everybody has “us against them” impulses of tribalism that — if not allowed to harden into hostility, blind prejudice or a win-at-any-cost mentality — can be harnessed to build team spirit, mutual support and shared purpose.

Tomorrow’s leaders need to be adept at using online tools positively, modeling ways to express strong feelings authentically without being hateful. They can also harness the power of social media to foster face-to-face, IRL interactions in their local communities, bringing different interests together in the same physical space to identify shared goals and to collaborate on achieving them. In the long term, people will find they prefer the sustaining glow of constructive collaboration over the inferno of outrage and confrontation.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that people with different opinions will get along any better in person than they do online. But working together physically has a way of creating true goodwill — and that’s more powerful than a whole lot of likes and smileys.

In the long term, people will find they prefer the sustaining glow of constructive collaboration over the inferno of outrage and confrontation.