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A tartalmat a Beyond Polarity biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a Beyond Polarity vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
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Beyond Polarity
Mind megjelölése nem lejátszottként
Manage series 2322417
A tartalmat a Beyond Polarity biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a Beyond Polarity vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
fresh voices, useful ideas & thoughtful commentary
…
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20 epizódok
Mind megjelölése nem lejátszottként
Manage series 2322417
A tartalmat a Beyond Polarity biztosítja. Az összes podcast-tartalmat, beleértve az epizódokat, grafikákat és podcast-leírásokat, közvetlenül a Beyond Polarity vagy a podcast platform partnere tölti fel és biztosítja. Ha úgy gondolja, hogy valaki az Ön engedélye nélkül használja fel a szerzői joggal védett művét, kövesse az itt leírt folyamatot https://hu.player.fm/legal.
fresh voices, useful ideas & thoughtful commentary
…
continue reading
20 epizódok
Minden epizód
×YOU JUST LIVED through one of the craziest summers in political memory. For fast relief use PETER’S PRINCIPLES: a 12-step recovery guide for the politically perplexed . https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Peters_Principles_INTRO_foreword.mp3 LISTEN to the podcast (it’s just over 22 minutes). READ a free preview of the companion book to the podcast series (it’s five pages long): FOREWORD Previously, we released short podcast excerpts from interviews that illustrate PETER’S PRINCIPLES such as: Rule of Law & Loyalty & Pragmatic Dreams Isn’t it good to know we have a Made-in-Alberta antidote to the current political and economic chaos? Tell your friends and colleagues on social media about PETER’S PRINCIPLES: a 12-step recovery guide for the politically perplexed . And if you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the series and the blog. Thanks! credits_introduction_foreword The post PETER’S PRINCIPLES: A 12-step recovery guide for the politically perplexed… appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
CHARLIE FISCHER is a retired energy executive with fire in the belly. As former President & CEO of Nexen Inc., he led the company during a pivotal time in the development of the Alberta oil sands. In 2013, Nexen was sold to China’s CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation). In July of this year, Don Hill and I spoke with Charlie. He bristled at the thought of what’s happened to the investment climate in Alberta. He’s deeply concerned business and foreign capital is taking a pass on the province and Canada. Making Alberta an attractive place for investment is one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES . Here’s an excerpt from our conversation with CHARLIE FISCHER : https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Charlie-Fischer_rule-of-law-excerpt.mp3 WE’VE INTERVIEWED MANY ALBERTANS who worked with, or were influenced by Premier Peter Lougheed & his exceptional team; people like CHARLIE FISCHER who have insights on Lougheed’s leadership principles. We’ll continue to post podcasts and even chapters of our book– PETER’S PRINCIPLES — in the weeks to come. TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe. The post Peter’s Principles: RULE OF LAW appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
BRENT HARDING worked on the inside of Alberta’s provincial government, including service with Minister Merv Leitch, a member of Peter Lougheed’s first cabinet in 1971. Like many civil servants I worked alongside in government, Brent is thoughtful, meticulous even, in his approach to serious questions like how and why did he feel part of Lougheed’s vision for Alberta. Don Hill and I spoke with Brent recently. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation; Brent talked about pragmatic dreams, one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES . https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Peters-Principles_pragmatic-dreamer_excerpt.mp3 WE’VE INTERVIEWED MANY ALBERTANS who worked with, or were influenced by Premier Lougheed & his exceptional team; people like BRENT HARDING who have insights on Lougheed’s leadership principles. We’ll continue to post more excerpts in the weeks to come. TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe. The post Peter’s Principles: PRAGMATIC DREAMS appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
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Beyond Polarity
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GEORGE DE RAPPARD is an Albertan who worked alongside Peter Lougheed for years (at one time as chief of staff in the Premier’s Office). George witnessed first-hand Premier Lougheed’s leadership and some pivotal moments in the province’s political history. Don Hill and I spoke with George recently. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation; George talked about loyalty, one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES . https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/PP_Loyalty_excerpt.mp3 STAY TUNED to this space. We’ve interviewed many Albertans who worked with, or were influenced by Premier Lougheed & his exceptional team; people like George de Rappard who have insights on Lougheed’s leadership principles. We’ll continue to post more excerpts in the weeks to come. TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe. Donna Kennedy-Glans, July 13th, 2018 The post Peter’s Principles: LOYALTY appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
What can you say about the Ontario provincial election? We — Donna Kennedy-Glans & Don Hill — have been speaking with people in Peter Lougheed’s circle of political colleagues, friends, admirers, and even critics (albeit it’s been friendly fire). And the thing that keeps coming up is how Peter Lougheed never spoke about being in power, but rather ‘in service’ to Albertans. Is this a reminder and message Millennials need to hear? And what’s it going to be in Ontario — a provincial government in service or in power? PLEASE LISTEN to D2 (Donna & Don talking) about the election in Ontario, and what the result might foreshadow for upcoming provincial elections in Quebec, this fall, and next spring in Alberta (not to forget the federal election in 2019). https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/D2_ontario-election.mp3 The post Ontario Election: PCs in service or in power? appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
We’ve started in on making Peter’s Principles, talking to people who work ed alongside Peter Lougheed, and gaining support for the project. And last week, Don Hill and I learned about the secret sauce that launched a political dynasty in Alberta. Listen to our Podcast here: https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Build-dont-attack.mp3 The post Build From-Don’t Attack appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
A GENERATION AGO , Peter Lougheed was the leader of Alberta . Our oil & gas wealth was the envy of the nation. So much so, Pierre Trudeau , the Prime Minister at the time, along with his minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, Marc Lalonde , created the National Energy Program . In response, Premier Lougheed and his cabinet thought long and hard about what to do in response to this heavy-handed federal incursion. Turn down the taps – sound familiar? That’s one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES – be formidable, and lead smart. LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT from a conversation my colleague Don Hill had with Peter Lougheed in 2011. https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PETERS-PRINCIPLES_announce.mp3 Over the summer, I’ll tell you more about how you can participate and support a series of new podcasts & broadcasts about this extraordinary leader, his principles of leadership, and how we can put PETER’S PRINCIPLES into practice today. TELL YOUR FRIENDS and if you haven’t already, please subscribe. The post Peter’s Principles: NEW SERIES appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
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https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Conservative-Conundrum.mp3 I have a challenge you can help me with. Right now, and please don’t second-guess yourself, think of the word conservative. What does it mean to you? Hold that thought, please. While I’m quite comfortable with change, I also take comfort in tradition. I believe in standards & best practices. I believe in the rule of law – I’m a lawyer – I value the principles given to me by my elders. That’s what I mean by conservative. And I’m not afraid to say that out loud. In fact, I’m tired of hearing ‘conservative’ being framed, often disparagingly, as a right-winger with views cast in concrete. It’s polarizing. People are simply trotting out a script. My journalist colleague calls it ‘message track’. For a moment, please resist the temptation to pick a political ‘side’. Here’s the challenge I mentioned off the top: What do you mean by conservative? I live in Alberta, so the question for me starts with what it means to be a conservative here. I grew up in Ontario, and although I’ve been long gone, I can’t deny a certain conservative influence – nearby America and it’s heartland, too. But, surprisingly, it’s my father’s recent passing that has crystallized some things for me. I’m the feminist who left the farm for the bright lights of the city. I studied law to understand ‘rights’. In spite of all that, my roots in that fertile farm soil never came loose. They still have a firm hold on my values and how I see the world. To recap: I’m trained as a lawyer. Was a provincial politician. Founded an NGO to train women in Yemen. I’ve even been a corporate insider. I get the power of rules and laws. The conditions were ripe for me to become a rights-wielding social justice warrior. But I’m not. Rarely do I rely on rights, alone, to move justice forward. My motivation comes from inside. Like it or not, I have an unshakeable sense of personal responsibility. I inherited this, from my father. To me, that’s the essence of being conservative. I’m no libertarian, eschewing all government. There’s a role for strong government to stabilize the economy, and to intervene when needed to deal with jobs and economic futures. To work with the private sector and others to protect the vulnerable. To be clear though, personal responsibility motivates me more than laws and rules. Take away my ability to make choices, and replace it with government’s authority, and I’m in agony. Over the coming weeks and months, I’m going to take a deep dive into this problematic question of what it means to be conservative in Alberta. And it’s heartening knowing I’m not alone in this quest. Many of you are reaching out, asking questions. I invite you to this space – I’m building it with partners — that will evolve here and a spot I trust you’ll begin to see yourself in. And I want to hear from you. I need to hear from you. How do you embrace traditions, build on history and conserve what is good…and all the while remain open to the new? I promise to share with you what I learn. In podcasts, in blog posts, maybe even in cartoons and pictures. And I welcome your honest feedback. This past week, I’ve had amazing & intense conversations with Albertans who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with one of Alberta’s most remarkable leaders, Peter Lougheed. He was a progressive conservative. Both words: progressive and conservative might mean very different things to you. Why? Because Alberta is in crisis right now. More than ever, we need to understand how we went about building a better Alberta, decades ago. And how what we learned, then, can be applied to today. It’s not the first time Alberta’s economy has been bludgeoned by other governments in our own country. It’s not the first time Alberta has had no choice but to be formidable in defending our place in Canada’s Confederation. Right now, outsiders are telling Alberta’s story. And we’re letting them. We need to do a better job of telling our own story, to one another and to the world. And part of our story is what it means to be a conservative in Alberta. Donna Kennedy-Glans, May 28th 2018 https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Conservative-Conundrum.mp3 The post The Conservative Conundrum appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_7_DKG.mp3 A FINAL big idea. Sometimes, you need to be formidable. I’ve been on the ‘weaker’ side of many polarities over my life. Born a female in a patriarchal farming family. Working as a woman in a male-saturated oil industry. When I joined my husband’s Lutheran church, a place where women can’t be faith leaders and couldn’t even vote when I first joined. Working in countries around the world where daughters were invisible. I know that I have ‘white privilege’. I am aware of it and at the same time I’ve experienced great frustration in the places where I am less privileged. Acknowledging the diversity within yourself–and reconciling that– can be helpful as you move into the work of reconciling with others. As explained, I’ve usually assumed some change leadership role from the edge of the inside of these places – my family, energy companies, the church, the communities where I lived, political parties. Gratefully, I can see the small wins and sustain some level of confidence to keep moving. But not always. 2014 was one of those times when I was stopped in my tracks for a few months. When I chose to leave the Alberta Cabinet under the leadership of Alison Redford, and to sit as an Independent MLA. I understood my options. Had reflected on my choices. And knew I had to act, I had to step out. There have been times when I’ve had no choice but to be formidable. Because I couldn’t live with myself, otherwise. I don’t do it often. And, sometimes I don’t even see it coming. But as I get older, I’m recognizing the signs, the triggers. I can live with deniers, I deplore opportunists, but what really gets under my skin are the self-righteous. When I see someone taking advantage of others for their own gain, and especially in the name of ‘virtue’, my blood curdles. When we ask if Margaret Atwood is a bad feminist because she believes in due process for men accused of sexual harassment, I get formidable. The judgement, the disdain, the scorn. Looking down on those who live contrary to the values of the in-group. Twisted pride in distancing yourself from those you see as unenlightened. One of my moments of greatest angst in the last two years was being treated as a victim of misogyny; by other women! When I decided to run as leader of the PC Party in Alberta, then stepped away from the race for entirely rational reasons, I didn’t feel weak and I certainly didn’t feel like a victim. But that’s how I was painted and people wouldn’t even talk to me about how I saw this situation. The media and women’s advocates had already decided. As they spoke for me, I felt powerless. I see a bit of the same happening in the #MeToo movement. Some women I mentor tell me they find the movement increasingly hard to identify with. As it slides from a movement about supporting women who have been sexually exploited. As it shifts from the much needed conversation about consent and sexual responsibility. Into an uncomfortable territory that paints women as almost infantile. As victims, incapable of speaking up or saying no. Painting a majority of men in our culture as toxically masculine. As potential abusers, harassers or serial predators. These situations bring out the formidable in me. IDEA #7: When you must, be formidable. Conclusions. There you have it. 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity. In the coming months and years, polarities will likely intensify – decide how you are going to approach that. My suggestion to you? Step in, shoulders squared, heart and mind open, building bridges where possible, being creative and purposeful in your decision making. And, when needed, be willing to be formidable. Thank you for caring enough to want to move beyond polarity. If you enjoyed this series of blogs & accompanying podcasts, please share with others. And, let us know how these ideas worked for you. When it comes to squaring off against divisive polarities, we all want to do better. We all need to do better. https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_7_DKG.mp3 TELL YOUR FRIENDS and if you haven’t already, please subscribe. Donna Kennedy-Glans, May 27th, 2018 See also: 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity Idea # 1: Step up, shoulders squared. Idea # 2: Treat YOU like the ones you teach. Idea #3: Befriend the like-hearted. Idea #4: Know where you lead from. Idea #5: Imagination builds bridges. Idea #6: Decision-making is a precious power. The post IDEA #7: When you must, be formidable appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_6_DKG.mp3 WE ALL HOLD POWER when it comes to decision-making. You may have top-down authority to make a decision. You may have the expertise and credibility to influence a decision, to offer up new ideas. You may have the legitimacy to constructively dissent to a decision that affects you directly. You may be motivated to block implementation of a decision that you don’t like. Making or influencing or blocking a decision that affects others is a big deal. It’s a choice, a skill and a responsibility. It is a precious power. As a politician, it was a serious responsibility making policy choices on behalf of constituents. One of the most precious decisions I ever made was to support Gay-Straight-Alliances (GSAs) in schools. Decision-making here was tricky. Provincial politicians decide policy. Advocates and parents and school boards all speak for students. Yet a decision about expressing one’s sexuality is profoundly personal. As we all know youth who haven’t shared their sexual identity with their families can be vulnerable. Preserving a student’s ability to decide when and how to come out is protecting that student’s decision-making power as an individual. In my corporate life, decision-making wasn’t that clear-cut either. Authority, influence, persuasion, group-think and coercion all reared their heads when a critical decision needed to be made. You may have seen this too. Right now, there’s a big shift happening. Power is spreading. It’s easier to get. The Occupy movements, the Arab Spring, WikiLeaks, #MeToo, and environmental advocates who are able to overwhelm regulatory processes and shut down oil pipelines in Canada are proof. If you have formal authority, it’s never been harder to use. Techniques to block the use of power are gaining strength: veto, diversion, interference, foot-dragging, vexatious litigation. Social license can now be more powerful than the rule of law. Obviously, the concentration of power in the hands of a few isn’t good; it’s tyranny . On the other end of the spectrum, overly-diffused power can lead to chaos. How can you find and support approaches that give decision-makers enough power to be effective, but not too much? Let me share an experience of what I felt was exceptional decision-making. A model of the power of sharing power. It happened in front of me in an unlikely place, the island of Socotra, Yemen, a military dictatorship. I was there as part of Canada Bridges, with the local leaders, the Yemeni Minister of Public Health and Population and the meetings host, a local Sheikh. The military were told to put down their guns. The Minister of Health and the local Sheikh sat on a blanket, face to face. The Minister leaned in, listening intently, rarely speaking. Also in attendance, the Minister’s healthcare experts, local faith leaders, and villagers–men and women and children. After pleasantries, the crisis to be resolved was put on the table. How could this remote island improve the health of young mothers and their babies? Specifically, the problem of girls being married as “child brides”, their young, undeveloped bodies unable to safely bear babies. From my point of view, this was heartbreaking . The Minister of Health had the power to unilaterally set healthcare policy. Yet he chose to travel to Socotra and listen closely. The policy decisions made reflected this. They agreed to better healthcare during pregnancy and education on birth-control choices. Most critically, local faith leaders undertook to use their influence to condemn personal decisions by locals to marry child brides, the root cause of the crisis. It’s fairly easy to see how this decision could have gone other ways, with less sensitivity and potentially less uptake. IDEA #6, treat your role in decision-making as the precious exercise of power that it is. Decisions are made moment by moment, both small and large. Your approach matters. All of us hold power in decision-making. Whether we speak for others or interfere with a decision that’s been made. Use your power wisely. I promised you 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity. The final big idea will be shared in the upcoming blog. It’s a tough one. IDEA #7: Sometimes, you need to be formidable. LET ME KNOW how you see your role in decision-making. And how you use that precious role to break down polarities. As you speak for others, and make decisions that impact others. TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe. Donna Kennedy-Glans, May 20th, 2018 https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_6_DKG.mp3 See also: 7 Ideas for Living: An Antidote to Polarity Idea # 1: Step up, shoulders squared. Idea # 2: Treat YOU like the ones you teach. Idea #3: Befriend the like-hearted. Idea #4: Know where you lead from. Idea #5: Imagination builds bridges. The post IDEA #6: Decision-making is a precious power appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Playing-Games-with-Energy.mp3 IT’S AN OLD STORY, but a familiar one: If first you don’t succeed, try and try again. But what if you try and try and try and it still doesn’t work? And so here I am, bright and chipper on a Monday morning in the offices of a familiar spot, the National Energy Board. I’m joined by enthusiastic champions of energy innovation who want Albertans to ‘think different’ and embrace the future. Innovation is a word you hear a lot these days. Innovative ways to do this and that and the other thing and even how to think about innovation. And the Energy Futures Lab has just the thing to fuel innovation – the Newtonian Shift simulation game – the ‘celebrity edition’ with former politicians, corporate executives, environmental advocates and funders. This same week, the ‘ world’s greatest minds in energy and tech’ gathered to listen to the words of innovation luminaries—Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group; Michael Liebreich, Founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance; Susan Cain, co-founder of Quiet Revolution. The topic? Energy disruption. All this, in a single week. It is indeed spring in Alberta. For the rest of the story, listen here: https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Playing-Games-with-Energy.mp3 I’m a fairly upbeat kind of person. I really want to believe innovation is going to guide Albertans’ energy future to bright, sunny days when intractable problems will be resolved. I deplore the nattering nabobs of negativity who predict our province’s demise. And yet, I’m wary. Alberta’s future rests, not just on these innovative and imaginative ideas. But rather, on their adoption in practice. We’re a province loaded to the brim with under-deployed engineers, economists, scientists, even lawyers. Can’t we just set these experts in motion? Get these creative solutions moving forward? Really, climate change isn’t a problem – the simulation game is proof-of-concept that we have the solutions! Oh, I want to dream big too. But I’m also pragmatic. I want to see innovation that is not just talked about, enthusiastically, but that is implemented. Let the Innovation Games Begin! It’s eight on a Monday morning. Everyone seems keen to participate in the Newtonian Shift. Huddled in the NEB boardroom, the players hear the rules of the game. The coach facilitators roll out a scenario like the ‘crawl’ that fronts a Star Wars movie: You are a player in the fictional jurisdiction of Newtonia (read, Alberta). Your shared quest is to move Newtonia into a lower carbon future. And as individual players, you also have to keep the lights on in your own community and workplace. Be innovative – there’s that word again — but make sure you stay afloat financially. At the beginning of each calendar year, you will be given Newtonian money to spend on technology, energy resources, whatever. Sort of like getting $200 in Monopoly money every time you pass “Go”. The game strives to build empathy. Players were encouraged to choose to role-play an unfamiliar role. Several of the game’s characters, I’d already played in real-life: the politician, the government, the for-profit energy company, the community. I chose something I could never be in the real world. A band member in a First Nations community, the fictional Bizon Tribe (sic). What fun! It was delightful to hold a veto, to be on the ‘other’ side of the negotiating table. The Bizon Tribe wasn’t connected to any energy grid, but their land was integral to energy distribution in the wider community. Everyone wanted to build a transmission line across this land. Sound familiar? At the outset of the game, the Bizon Tribe’s energy source was a diesel generator. Another all-too-familiar story. Together with my fellow band member, we negotiated a right-of-way across our lands in exchange for up-front cash and a sizeable discount on future energy needs for our people. We displaced the diesel with green energy. And, we negotiated jobs and training. A sunny outcome for this First Nations community! Yet achieving the wider goal of a lower energy future wasn’t all that easy. There were constant disruptions. New government carbon policy that was poorly understood. Spikes in commodity prices. New technology. With the clock ticking, it was daunting trying to think beyond the next transaction. At the end of the game, in the real-life world, I was disappointed by the blind spots the game exposed. You would be left with impressions that green energy is virtuous and must be pursued at any cost; innovation to improve fossil fuel production and its use just wasn’t and ought not be a priority. Does innovation have to be disruptive? Billionaire Richard Branson has branded the concept of what it means to be a disruptor. Virgin Airlines became a disruptor in the airlines business, and Branson hints that he wants to do the same for space travelling. He also champions disruption in other industries, and this week, that included Alberta’s energy business. The vision of a disruptor is someone who up-ends old ways of doing something. My mother would call that person a ‘shit-disturber’. One imagines an idea so profound that it is the catalyst for waves of change moving across the entire province, swallowing up anything ‘old’ in its path. Admittedly, many of the externalities faced by Alberta’s energy business have proven disruptive. Climate change fears, America’s new-found energy independence, leap-frogging technologies. And maybe the only way to respond to external disruption is to advance your own brand of disruption, under the guise of innovation. Yet figuring out new solutions to old problems, even intractable problems like energy poverty (there is such a thing), doesn’t always require profound interventions. Sometimes, the fix to a system-wide challenge is pretty mundane. It need not be trendy or imported (as is the case with made-in-California-like solutions). Maybe it’s even something we’ve done before but applied in a different way or context. That doesn’t sound quite as sexy or dashing. But still, it can be innovative. Perhaps it’s just the language we choose to use. I spend a lot of time with younger Albertans, people who dream of creating something new, better, stronger. Listen to the TED talks. Often they talk of throwing away the old, bringing in the new. I was reminded by a fellow Baby Boomer that our generation thought we could change the world in one go. Certainly, there are parts of our energy future that qualify as disruptive. For example, disrupting the growth trajectory for vehicles with internal combustion engines through exponential growth in electric vehicles. While I applaud the enthusiasm, it sometimes saddens me that revitalizing—building upon– what we already know is not equally attractive. Disrupting is far more appealing. Really, don’t we need both? To build on the past experiences and values, and create something more adaptive to the present situation. For example, to take what we know of the fossil fuel energy systems and create a carbon-reduced energy future that integrates renewables. In an affordable way, for all consumers and taxpayers. Sometimes, innovation proposes a new theology. My ‘boomer’ friend and I agree innovations, such as machine intelligence and genomics, will compel a necessary shift in our belief system. However, it’s not just about a new technology. It’s about seeing the world differently. That’s not just changing the rules. That’s changing the game. Especially at these times, the dreamer’s tone can change. There can be more forceful confrontation of the perceptions, beliefs and expectations of Albertans – especially older Albertans. Again, I point to the experiences of the past. What can we glean? Some of my dreamer friends point only to the future. Turning their backs on what was: forgetting, or ignoring, the game-changing innovation required to develop the oil-sands; to add value to natural gas resources in the province; to make Alberta a destination for world class energy expertise and investment. Progressing genuine energy innovation. It’s rousing to generate new ideas for green energy, especially sharing the rarefied air with master disruptors like Sir Richard Branson. But dreaming is not enough. We also have to deliver. Making sure we do what we say we will do. That’s about integrity. Accountability. And, yes, pragmatism. Well-worn concepts that prove useful, generation after generation. And if in our pursuit of green energy targets, however virtuous, we inadvertently hold back the progress of wider energy innovation, Alberta risks being left behind. We risk losing an entire generation of Albertans who were known, globally, for their capacity to progress energy innovation. The new green orthodoxy comes with terrible risks to innovation, and I’m not exaggerating. During the Cold War, the Soviets decided to focus research on military and political priorities. That meant some research topics were banned, including genetics. Scientists who disagreed were imprisoned or executed. Genetics was not even mentioned in textbooks until the 1980s, and only sparsely at that. And it wasn’t until 2010, genome sequencers were used in Russian labs – the machines were made in America. Constraining the progress of genuinely innovative ideas put Russian students, scientists and industries decades behind their competitors. That wasn’t a simulation. And it’s a game Albertans should wise up to. https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Playing-Games-with-Energy.mp3 TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe. Donna Kennedy-Glans, May 2018 The post PODCAST: Playing Games with Energy Innovation appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_5_DKG.mp3 Okay, okay, you are going to figure this out. I’m a pathological bridge-builder. Sure, there are times when I’ve disengaged, intentionally stood by and watched something collapse. Rarely do I destroy things or promote enclave thinking. Building bridges between people is my preference. The NGO I set up in Yemen was called Canada Bridges. No accident . It takes imagination to build these bridges. And that, to me, is energizing. When you decide to wade into a polarized issue (remember Idea #1, Step up, Shoulders Squared ?), you have choices about how to engage. I’m not judging you on your choices. Just want to emphasize, there are choices. Ignoring people who don’t look like you, or think like you, used to be a lot easier. Like-minded people could hold sequestered opinions. With the instant and broad communication we have now, ignoring the ‘other’ is difficult. When I talk with my 80-year-old Mom, who lives in a farmhouse in rural Ontario, she surprises me with her questions about what’s going on in the world. She’s plugged in. Knowing this, one choice for you is to turn up the volume and the aggression on your messages. It’s not a choice I recommend though. I get your anger. I’m angry that the University of Alberta is daring to laud David Suzuki at this point in Alberta’s history. But really, doubling down on shame and blame hasn’t helped resolve many polarities. It’s built higher walls and thicker barriers. Look at the pipeline battles in Canada. We’re spending our energy building barriers, not ideas. We need to figure out ways to engage with the University of Alberta, including members of their Senate whose job is to make sure the voices of the community are heard. Imagine what bridges could be built if Suzuki recognized the poignancy of this moment too, and suggested to the University of Alberta that it may be better if he accepted the honour in another year. Nor am I suggesting you become a namby-pamby both-and’er : W e’re all one family, we just need to get along! Play nice in the sandbox. This will all blow over. Pollyanna or avoidance isn’t going to diffuse tensions between people who want pipelines and people who don’t; between people who want trade protection and people who want free trade. When people say, “ Oh, we all want the same things, we’re just using different vocabularies,” or “ We all pray to the same God “, even “ The economy and the environment are two sides of the same coin, ” the arguments don’t ring true. They are shallow. We can’t get beyond confrontation, dichotomy, and polarity with namby-pamby. We can’t replace a fictitious polarity with an equally fictitious unity. In the Bible, God said, blessed are the peace-makers, not the peaceful. You have decided to wade into the polarity. You have choices. And I know what I’m asking you to consider is hard. You want to gag at times – I do too, especially when I read Trump’s tweets. But, I’m asking you to try not to gag. On issues you care about, resist gagging, and figure out how you can engage with the other, even the Repulsive Cultural Other . Sometimes we go to great lengths to differentiate ourselves from that other. Americans and Canadians aren’t the same. People from BC aren’t the same as people from Alberta . It’s striking how we can live as neighbours, share ancestry and hold similar customs and yet strive for such distinct identities. Sigmund Freud explained this particular hostility between groups of people that are in many ways quite alike as the narcissism of minor differences . To protect our sense of self, we artificially inflate the significance of minor differences we use to construct our identities. For example, we say things like: Unlike the US, Canada is a country that values social justice. Unlike Alberta, British Columbia is a place that cares about affordable housing, pipeline spills. When you focus on building walls, leaning too heavily on minor differences and ignoring the fundamentals, you can tend to define yourself by what you are not. It’s way more fun & imaginative to build bridges, rather than walls. IDEA #5: Imagination builds bridges. So, what the next idea? It’s about decision-making. How precious it is. All of us hold power in decision-making. You may have top-down authority to make a decision. You may have the expertise and credibility to influence a decision, to offer up new ideas. You may have the legitimacy to constructively dissent to a decision that affects you directly. You may be motivated to block implementation of a decision that you don’t like. Making or influencing or blocking a decision that affects others is a big deal. It’s a choice, a skill and a responsibility. It is a precious power. https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_5_DKG.mp3 TELL YOUR FRIENDS and if you haven’t already, please subscribe. Next week, IDEA #6: Decision-making is a precious power. Donna Kennedy-Glans, May 13th 2018 See also: 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity Idea # 1: Step up, shoulders squared. Idea # 2: Treat YOU like the ones you teach. Idea #3: Befriend the like-hearted. Idea #4: Know where you lead from. The post IDEA #5: Imagination builds bridges appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_4_DKG.mp3 WE ARE ALL living with uncertainty. Wave, after wave, after wave of change. #MeToo has been overtaken by #marchforlife and youth in America demanding change in gun culture. Before that, Idle No More, the Occupy movement, climate change. And, before that, The Arab Spring and weapons of mass destruction. And there is Trump. And his tweets. The last time I recall feeling this much uncertainty was after September 11 th . On that unforgettable day, I was getting ready to deliver my speech on “Managing Energy Operations in Emerging Democracies”. The audience? Members of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, many from Muslim-majority countries, gathered in Calgary that day for an international conference. Driving downtown with the radio turned up, listening to reporters describe the fall of the twin towers, again and again. Whatever the facts, the lives of many people I knew as friends and colleagues would be irreversibly changed. There was no precedent, no grounding, for this event. It was agony; all I could think of was, “what now?” I imagine that there have been days in the last year where you have felt the same about your role as an educator, a mentor, a parent, a decision-maker… in a world that seems increasingly uncertain. We ask ourselves: What happens if protesters show up at our company work site? What happens if our college campus shows up on CBC news? And, what’s my role in all of this? Top-down leadership may make polarities worse. Understandably, one of the reactions to times of great uncertainty is an increased openness to top-down direction and authority. Forceful security measures to counter terrorists. Even aggressive tweets to deter rogue states threatening nuclear war. We want someone to fix the problem! There are times when top-down leadership is required. Absolutely. In the operating room, I prefer that one person, the surgeon, direct the operation. And in the heat of battle, soldiers need crystal-clear orders. But when you are trying to hold the space for genuine dialogue—especially when you have people clinging to rigid, polarized positions—authoritarian leadership may not set the right tone. More often, a mix of top-down authority and bottom-up influence is needed. If you are the one holding that space for dialogue, you have to really know your go-to leadership style. And, be able to recognize your sweet spots and weaknesses. Beyond top-down and bottom-up, there are other ways to think about how you approach leadership. Especially in uncertain times, times when polarities get wide. Insider, outsider, or someone in between? Do you lead or influence change as an insider, as an outsider, or as someone in between? Maybe you are the consummate insider, one of those loyal people who serves at the core of an organization where top-down decisions are made. Maybe you are the critical outsider. The person who throws missiles from beyond the walls. There is a critical role for leading as insiders and outsiders. I admire people with the courage, commitment and loyalty to do what it takes, especially in uncertain times. Yet there are people, including myself, whose truest selves are realized by acting at the edge-of-the-inside of a company, a political party, a faith community. This edge-of-the-inside seems to nurture my sense of who I am, my sense of dignity. Bridge-building work. Working to lead change from the edge-of-the-inside is bridge-building work. You see what’s good about your own group, and aren’t threatened by those on the other side of the organizational wall. You know how to take advantage of the practices of an organization, but not be imprisoned by them. But, it’s certainly not the most comfortable space. When elected to provincial government, I understood the importance of allegiance to a political party yet equally prioritized my allegiance to constituents. There were times this way of thinking was seen as disloyalty. I wasn’t seen as a true believer by the Party insiders; and I lacked the purity of an outsider from the perspective of some constituents. Yet it was a leadership approach that allowed me to lead significant change, in uncertain times. We need insiders, outsiders and people who lead from the edge of the inside. Especially in the building of bridges between rigid and polarized positions, leading from the edge of the inside can be creative, constructive and energizing. Leading from the edge of the inside isn’t for everyone. If you aren’t comfortable with this leadership style, think about finding people in your organization who are. And support them in their bridge-building. Idea #4: Know where you lead from. Next week, we’ll be talking about the 5th Idea for Life: An Antidote to Polarity. Idea #5 is about bridge-building and imagination. When you focus on building walls, leaning too heavily on minor differences and ignoring the fundamentals, you can tend to define yourself by what you are not. It’s way more fun & imaginative to build bridges, rather than walls. https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_4_DKG.mp3 TELL YOUR FRIENDS and if you haven’t already, please subscribe. Donna Kennedy-Glans, May 6th, 2018 See also: 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity Idea # 1: Step up, shoulders squared. Idea # 2: Treat YOU like the ones you teach. Idea #3: Befriend the like-hearted. The post IDEA #4: Know Where You Lead From appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_3_DKG.mp3 IT’S EASY TO GET STUCK in echo chambers. To listen to people who share our point of view. We like talking to people who agree with us. But it risks feeding polarity. IDEA #3: Make friends with people who are like-hearted, not just the like-minded. ( This is the 4th blog in an 8-part series: 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity ) What do I mean? Well, let me give you an example. I’ve walked in the pride parade in Calgary as a citizen and as a politician because I care, a lot, about LGBTQ rights. My great-uncle Arnold was jailed in the 1950s for being gay. Several of my friends were shunned for being lesbian or gay, as young people. This issue touches my heart. Dr. Arnold Kennedy, 2nd on left Yet, last year, in what I perceive as a politically-motivated move, people had to apply to walk in Calgary’s pride parade. It wasn’t an open invitation, it was a message that said, if you aren’t like-minded, we don’t want you in this parade. We all don’t share the same strategies for moving forward on LGBTQ rights, but many of us share the same heart. This human tendency to seek out people who are like-minded has been well studied. It goes by many names. You’ll be familiar with: confirmation bias, anchoring, framing effects, halo effects, group attribution errors, in group and outgroup homogeneity biases. And there are many more labels. In simpler terms, when you recognize polarized positioning, when you see that authentic dialogue isn’t happening on an issue you care about because everyone has taken a side, I invite you to step back and take a look at who you are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with. Is it a bunch of people who are like-minded, or like-hearted? What are their motives? Let me share another real-life experience. When sexual harassment would rear its ugly head, decades ago, in energy companies where I worked as a lawyer then businesswoman, an edict would go out from on high that no harassment would be tolerated . And the result would be a wider and higher gender wall between myself and all the males I worked with. Male bosses even stopped hiring women. It was tough enough in the 1980s and 90s to be a female in the energy sector, especially working on international projects, and now I was facing an even higher and thicker brick wall. To move forward, I had to seek out some of the decision-makers and talk about different options that would deal with the harassment and opportunity for women in that workplace. I’m seeing glimmers of the same, today, in law firms and other places where people are afraid of the liabilities associated with #MeToo. My strongest allies in situations, like these, are people who were like-hearted. Certainly, everyone wanted to deal with sexual harassment. But like-hearted people saw a wider range of options and understood the consequences of making rigid, ideological, polarizing decisions that didn’t fully consider the human impacts. And another, more recent scenario. In December of 2016, Canada played a leading role at the Paris climate change meetings. What I observed in the lead up to the Paris meetings was a great polarization in the perceptions of what Albertans were thinking about climate change and energy policy. People outside Alberta believed there were only two brands of Albertans, those who : A) fully supported renewable energy targets, carbon tax, the end of coal, and a shutdown of the oil sands or B) those who believed we could innovate our way of climate change and didn’t support any changes, period. Either/or . Yet most Albertans don’t hold either of these rigid opinions. To flesh out what Albertans really believed, and to share those perspectives with others in Paris, I gathered 40 like-hearted people from Alberta to talk to Albertans, as citizens, at their kitchen tables, about what they would like to say in Paris, as citizens. What would you say in Paris was our question, and we connected directly and via social media with half a million Albertans. And, we delivered that message in Paris. Why did this work? Because our team included people from all political stripes, ages, communities. We were unlikely allies. We were like-hearted, not like-minded on the question of climate change. And we wanted Albertans voices to be heard. What’s up for next week? IDEA # 4: Know where you lead from. Do you lead or influence change as an insider, as an outsider, or as someone in between? When you are trying to close the gap on polarities, it helps to know how you lead. Until next week! https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/idea_3_DKG.mp3 TELL YOUR FRIENDS and if you haven’t already, please subscribe. Donna Kennedy-Glans, April 29th, 2018 See also: 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity Idea # 1: Step up, shoulders squared. Idea # 2: Treat YOU like the ones you teach. The post IDEA #3: Befriend the like-hearted appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
There are real chokepoints in the flow of Canada’s energy. And, in Canada’s confederation. In this 3rd podcast in our 3-part series, Alberta Bound, Alberta Unbound, Alberta Rebound, we explore the risks to Canada’s reputation as a place for investment if we can’t get our act together on pipelines. Alberta Rebound https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Alberta-Rebound_3.mp3 The post ALBERTA REBOUND: 3rd podcast in a 3-part series appeared first on Beyond Polarity .…
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