The professionals who run political campaigns are, in my humble opinion, out of control. Every day in my email inbox I get at least a dozen solicitations from both parties, all of which predict doom to the republic if the other side prevails. I expect to be inundated with these kinds of rabid solicitations every election cycle; but when those cycles are over, I think that whoever gets elected should be allowed to serve without this constant haranguing about disagreements. We wouldn’t put up with this kind of behavior at work: there, disagreements are considered healthy and opposing ideas are listened to and discussed. Instead of being stubborn naysayers, our political leaders should try the tactics we use at work to help us disagree without being disagreeable: ask clarifying questions, focus on solutions rather than problems, strive to understand what others are saying, don’t make things personal, position your ideas as options rather than as the only solution, treat others and their ideas with respect, commit to collaborating, and don’t expect to win every argument. Going back to my inbox, the more I hear from these campaign professionals the more I am convinced that they should just shut up and work together to solve our problems. Just like the rest of us do every day at work and home. Let’s all learn to disagree without being disagreeable today.
Alex Trebek (1940 – 2020): Canadian American game show host and television personality who hosted the syndicated game show Jeopardy! for its first 37 seasons
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