A simple way to break the cycle of polarization

Hi friends,

I often work with leaders who feel like they’re carrying a silent weight. They can name all the symptoms—strained relationships, stalled initiatives, cultures that feel heavier than they should—but they can’t quite put their finger on the cause. And because they can’t name it, they feel powerless to change it.

I’ve felt that weight too.

Over the years I've learned that the root cause of most "stuck" situations is not personalities, demographics, or even people per-say. It's polarization. Polarization is plain to see in national politics, but fewer people recognize how the same underlying pattern shows up on our teams, in our meetings, and sometimes in our own thinking.

Polarization is a mindset that frames every tension as an either/or choice. It's a belief that a conflict can only end with a winner and a loser or perhaps with a tepid compromise that satisfies nobody. Polarized thinking assumes that tradeoffs are inevitable, so for one good thing to be protected something else must be sacrificed. Under polarized leadership, conversation shrinks, curiosity disappears, and our teams start feeling more like rival camps than collaborators.

But here’s the hopeful part: we’re not stuck with this.

There’s a surprisingly simple way to interrupt the downward cycle of polarization. It begins with an appreciation for paradoxes—surface level contradictions that reveal a deep interdependence on closer inspection. Paradox-aware  leaders listen for and validate the good thing someone else is fighting for. That one practice lightens whole rooms. Doors crack open. People soften. It begins a search for durable solutions that don't neglect anything important.

In this week’s blog, I share a practical five-step approach to fighting polarization—one you can use today, no matter your role or the size of your team. I also explore how paradox-aware leadership helps us move beyond false tradeoffs and toward solutions that honor the full truth of a situation.

You can read it here:
https://www.thelpc.com/blog/what-you-can-do-to-fight-polarization

If the last few years have left you craving more sanity, more kindness, and more clarity in your leadership, I hope this piece gives you a bit of that back.

Warmly,
Jared