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

Karthik Ramanna: The Age of Outrage

Karthik Ramanna is a professor of business and public policy at 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.

Key Points

• 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.

Resources Mentioned

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

Interview Notes

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