711: Turning Down the Temperature on Outrage, with Karthik Ramanna

Karthik Ramanna is a professor of business and public policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, where he has served as director of one of the world’s most diverse leadership programs. Previously a professor at Harvard Business School, he studies how organizations and leaders build trust with stakeholders. He is the author of The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World.

In a lot of ways, leadership is better than it was a generation ago. One way that it isn’t better? Figuring out how to lead effectively in an increasingly polarized world. In this conversation, Karthik and I explore what leaders can do to turn down the temperature on outrage.

• We tend to frame effective leadership as heroic. In times of outrage, the virtue of temperance becomes essential.
• A leader will never fully address the demands made of them, regardless of how well they act.
• Even when a leader resolves problems, they will be viewed as part of the problem.
• Anticipate times of outrage and create spaces that calm people physically and help them connect with each other.
• Establish rules of engagement outside moments of outrage so that you have a starting point.
• Create pre-arranged workgroups that can help illuminate a path forward for the larger organization.

• The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World by Karthik Ramanna

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

• How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192)
• The Way Out of Major Conflict, with Amanda Ripley (episode 529)
• Three Practices for Thriving in Negotiations, with William Ury (episode 669)

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.