I'm thrilled that Bipartisanship is beginning to return to Washington!
What did you say? I’m crazy?
I hear you: watching the Sunday morning news shows today I was about to start beating my head against the more-of-the-same wall until I realized: Hey, dude: leadership needs engagement, and not agreement. So our elected leaders who engage in smart and open conflict is just what the doctor ordered for a new climate of recovery and innovation in our country.
Mission accomplished. They are truly going for the jugulars.
So bring on the jambalaya of animosity and fighting between parties, ideologies, and budget bills. Notwithstanding the Limbaugh sideshow, these welcome conflicts are creating our future. That we have an adult in the White House, along with a freshly “engaged” Congress, makes it more likely the irritation in the oyster will create a pearl.
In this corner: “We must spend more!” In that one: “Freeze all spending!” Awesome! Feel the heat! What a great change from the cold, deep space dark matter of the previous administration, where disengagement was born of a lack of . . . well . . . competence.
And speaking of dark matter, part of this healthy conflict is brought to you by greater visibility. President Obama is bringing transparency to the budget, accounting for the wars, and even ethics policies in the White House. Now that things can be seen clearly, we can now have strong opinions and ideas about . . . wait for it . . . what’s REALLY going on.
And you gotta love the guy -- his own actions in his first 46 days (up to today) are hitting and missing his openly-stated goals. It’s alien to Washington insiders, so they’re treating hits with silence, and misses like failed campaign promises, rather than the revolution they are: a more open executive branch that says: “Here’s what we want to be doing. Oops – we didn’t do that, but at least you know it, and by the way, we’re trying.”
It’s great to see this new, and competent, level of conflict in Washington. I’d rather have four years of sharp edges and elbows that fight out something worthwhile, than what seemed like 100 years of underhanded incompetence ended January 20, 2009.
A culture that values consensus would be symptomatic of avoided candor, garbled communication and a general lack of teamwork.
Our leaders and media must set the tone by not fearing or getting sidetracked by complaints about too vigorous a debate.
Disharmony, discord, and disagreement followed by fully-informed decisions result in rich and productive outcomes.
We the people should be looking not for Cumbaya in Washington, and the media for that matter, but instead to make sure the level of engagement remains topnotch. Given that, remember that a conflict-friendly perspective increases the capacity of our leaders to make great choices, and therefore to heal America.
David Peck
Executive Coach and President
Leadership Unleashed
