I have been doing video interviews with a number of C-level executives about acrobatics they have been seeing in various vertical sectors during the COVID-19 and related financial, diversity and other crises and the "New normal" they can expect going forward. Here is the index to the growing list of interviews.
This time it is Bruce Bond, Co-Founder & CEO, Board Chair of Common Ground Committee which promises to bring light, not heat to public discourse.
Personally I have little interest in politics. I am a registered independent and don't spend much time watching or reading political media on either the left or the right. My heroes are innovative business executives and hard working common people. However, this series is about heroics during various crises and I have been wondering who is trying to do something to reduce the polarization we have been seeing in the country. The recent elections have made our differences even more intense.
Well, I found such a hero in Bruce, my former Gartner colleague (shame on me, I have not kept much in touch with him for two decades). He kindly appeared in this series and blew me away as he described how his organization has brought politicians and policy makers from extreme positions together on stage including Condi Rice and John Kerry on global leadership, Barney Frank and Larry Kudlow on tax policy, Donna Brazile and Michael Steele on racial justice.
His organization is also helping ordinary citizens like me with scorecards which emphasize common ground. As I mention during the talk, it would be nice if political media did not just focus on fact checks but also positively rated candidates when they discuss consensus. We cover other areas like bias in media, voter fraud and impact of political differences on friends and families.
I was particularly touched by his episode of musician Daryl Davis, a Black man who has spent the past 35 years on a remarkable quest of speaking with, and at times befriending, members of white supremacist groups. He has helped more than 200 KKK members to renounce their racist ideology. You can hear a podcast with Daryl here.
Overall, very inspirational conversation. Not sure I will become politically active as a result, but it certainly left me more optimistic that at least at a grassroots level we can move to more civil discourse.
