Rotman Visiting Experts

The world feels more divided than ever, with anger permeating every level of society. For leaders, this creates challenges that range from difficult to seemingly impossible. How can they manage anger among employees, stakeholders, and external pressures? In the latest episode of Rotman Visiting Experts, Professor Karthik Ramanna discusses his new book, The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarizing World, and shares a practical framework for navigating these turbulent times.

Three takeaways

1. We're living in a very stressful time. Technological changes, like the advent of AI; societal shifts, such as an aging demographic; and a loss of trust in public institutions make us all a bit more...well, angry. The first thing leaders need to accept is that it's not one issue that's creating the conditions for the "age" of outrage; it's many. And if we can accept that we're living through a more polarizing time in society, we can start to address these issues more head-on.
2. Perhaps it's time those stereotypical "a-type" leaders — replete with courage, justice and wisdom — take a back seat to an oft-neglected virtue: temperance. Moderation might be key as we navigate these trying times, and Ramanna reminds listeners that some of the most influential and impactful leaders of our time have been temperate ones. Let your people - your team, your stakeholders, your customers - come to you with the right solutions; listen and trust that the processes you've put in place will help the right course of action bubble from the bottom up.
3. Leaders have limitations. You will always a) be seen as part of the problem by at least some of your stakeholders, and b) you can't solve every issue that comes across your desk. According to Ramanna, if you are clear about what issues you can own — that is identify, and offer up solutions for — then you can better manage the challenge of knowing that you can't fix everything. It's really about being authentic to your organization's values. Don't promise to solve climate change if you're an oil company; and if you can't stand behind your diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the face of pushback, perhaps don't trumpet them to begin with.

How do small, targeted actions create massive ripple effects in business and society? Malcolm Gladwell joined host Brett Hendrie to discuss his latest book, Revenge of the Tipping Point, unpacking the hidden forces behind epidemics, the power of overlooked metrics, and the stories that shape our world.

Head over to our YouTube channel to watch this conversation as well!

Three takeaways

1. Epidemics, be they health or societal, are often started by a very, very small number of individuals. Gladwell points to the opioid epidemic in the U.S. While it's had a massive impact on hundreds and thousands across the U.S. (and beyond), the root of the crisis owes its thanks to Purdue Pharma, which relentlessly targeted just a small handful of doctors. By micro-targeting a handful of physicians willing to over-prescribe painkillers, Purdue engineered a national crisis.
2. We're often shaped by narratives in ways we aren't always aware of, and they tend to be more community and locally based than we realize. Gladwell uses the concept of "overstories," that is how the upper canopy of a forest shapes life below it, to explore how these stories — say Canada's pride in multicultralism and immigration — can shape entire nations. As we become increasingly digitized and decentralized in our community identities, it's worth considering which new "overstories" are shaping how we interact with the world.
3. The law of a few — that epidemics are shaped by just a few individuals, often with unique gifts — was one of Gladwell's most enduring concepts introduced in The Tipping Point. This time around, he introduces us to the idea of "the rule of thirds." You don't need a majority or even an even split to achieve critical mass, particularly with positive societal change. Instead, looking at the niche example of women in male-dominated fields, critical mass might simply be "too many to ignore."

The world is a noisy place, and we often listen to the wrong information, leading to poor or conflicted choices. Can we learn to make more informed, wiser decisions? Nuala Walsh joined Visiting Experts host Brett Hendrie to explain how and talk about her new book Tune In: How to Make Smarter Decisions in a Noisy World...it's worth tuning into to the conversation!

Three takeaways

1. Poor decision-making has a very real cost. Forbes estimates it costs Fortune 500 companies $250 million annually, and Walsh thinks that's underestimating the challenge. And that doesn't even begin to explore the human consequences of certain types of decisions. Leaders often look for the easy answer, and will blame bad choices on poor timing or other external factors. To Walsh, this is bad news. You can't learn to make better choices if you're never taking accountability for your bad ones. Considering the high price tag of bad decisions, it's time leaders take an inward look.
2. We often trust what we can see. But Walsh worries about "deaf" and "dumb" spots - the information we're not hearing or saying (either because we're chosing not to hear or say it). In particular, leaders might need to get out of their comfort zone and be ready to hear truths that make them uncomfortable (so ditch those syncophatic fans on your management team!). But importantly, they need to make sure they're creating not only a psychologically safe culture where people feel they have permission to speak up, but that there are other safeguards in place to give employees protections to speak up as well. This means whistleblower hotlines, anonymous feedback forms, and more.
3. Embrace the decision friction. When making a tough choice, Walsh says it's crucial that you pause before committing. That might mean having a rule that decisions aren't made until you've asked three people outside of your work their opinion. Or perhaps it's a rule that no decisions will be made without sleeping on it first. It's easy to feel like everything is an emergency and that a decision needs to be made Right.Now.Immediately! But Walsh reminds listeners that's not actually usually the case. Yes, there are times when you have to make a decision quickly, but most situations aren't an emergency, so take a breath and put the choice on pause.

On the latest season of Visiting Experts, author Richard Davis joins host Brett Hendrie to talk about his new book Good Judgement. Richard offers leaders a framework for how to judge people more effectively and breaks down why we should discount emotional intelligence in favour of personality. Give it a listen now!

Three takeaways

1. When faced with a decision about a person - say you're selecting someone to take lead of a new project, trying to hire for a crucial role, or even just deciding if you want to have an on-going relationship - don't look for emotional intelligence. Instead, you should look at whether their personality makes them a good fit for the role. As Davis says, emotions are fleeting, but personality is static. "While it's helpful for me to understand, for example, if you are angry, it's much more powerful for me to understand that you're an angry person," he says.
2. Perceptivity is a talent you can develop. And judging others' personalities is something you can hone. So how do you do it? Richard has a five-box framework that asks you to evaluate others on their intelligence, sociability, emotionality, drive and diligence.
3. And to really understand people's personalities, you need to let them do the talking. He has some fantastic questions you can ask in almost any situation to really get a better read on people. (How are you, dispositionally, like your parents? Why do you have certain friends, and what's a turnoff in others?)

There's nothing wrong with having high standards. But when does chasing perfection start to damage your mental health and career? Thomas Curran joined host Brett Hendrie to talk about his new book The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough. They explore how to identify perfectionist tendencies, the danger in increased social pressure to be perfect, and how to break the habit. 

What can we learn from Elon Musk, his takeover of Twitter and its downward spiral? Author Ben Mezrich joined host Brett Hendrie to talk about the new book Breaking Twitter: Elon Musk and the Most Controversial Corporate Takeover in History; exploring what businesses - and CEOs - can take away from the ordeal to avoid the same fate. It's a must-listen for anyone looking to better understand how the whims of a single individual can derail even the most powerful of organizations. 

Can you get better at failure? Amy Edmondson joined Rotman Visiting Experts to explore the good kind of failures, the kind we need to avoid, and what we can learn from it all.

Vanessa Patrick joined host Brett Hendrie to talk about how we can hone our skills when it comes to saying "no," how we can reject requests more scientifically, and why we all benefit when we learn the art of refusal. 

Nearly 150 years old, the Indian Act continues to shape relations with Indigenous People across Canada. As communities, businesses, institutions and individuals begin or continue their paths of reconciliation, it's important to critically evaluate the role the legislation has played in getting us to where we are today. Bob Joseph, founder of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc and author of 21 Things You Didn't Know About the Indian Act joined us to talk about the lasting impact its had, and the role businesses and individuals play in dismantling its harmful legacy. 

You can improve almost any working relationship...really! It just takes time, effort and some good conversations. Michael Bungay Stanier joins host Brett Hendrie to talk about how to approach a sometimes difficult question: Can our working relationship be better? It's a must listen for anyone looking to create a better connection with, well, anyone.