The Lost Art of Diplomacy

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been traveling quite a bit.  Really, I’ve been traveling a lot. In the process of getting from A to B, and meeting people from a variety of backgrounds, it’s been humbling learning about various perspectives.  For one thing, the obvious bubble that each grouping lives in has been abundantly clear.

Traveling from city to city, at times surrounded by doctors, entrepreneurs, or small business owners, the variety of opinions really stood out.  There are the groups who only watch MSNBC and others who are devoted to Fox News, and some who insist on getting their news from TMZ. One theme among each group stood out.  They had their opinions on “news” and had no interest on other opinions. It made me wonder, how did we become open minded to our specific set of beliefs yet closed to everything else?

How did we grow as a civilization, create access to almost any piece of information at the tip of our fingers, yet have so many walls?

When did we stop listening and start mindlessly regurgitating what we hear?

Usually, in group settings when the topic turns to politics, I keep my mouth shut and watch the group.  What’s seen is more telling than what is said. There are the leaders, or the majority, who have the same opinions and use the time to validate their feelings.  It looks like they all watched the same show and are showing how much they memorized. There are those who maybe watched the show in passing and know the topics but took it as background information.  Then, there is the minority who may disagree and are either going to turn the conversation into a yelling match or are going to get bullied by the group. The topic itself doesn’t matter, but the behavior tells a lot about the individual.

This is how I figure out who I can work with and who is more pleasant from a distance.

Members of the yelling match and bullies won’t contribute to a serene and productive work environment.  Drama and productivity are like oil and water. There is so much energy put into managing the drama that it’s difficult to find time for productivity too.  Why sign up for that?

The yummy underbelly lies in the members of the group who are informed, listen, and don’t get emotional.  Again, what they are informed in doesn’t matter. The fact that they took the time to pay attention and learn is important.  Also important is that they don’t get flustered when there is an opposing opinion. Someone who doesn’t get caught up in the drama will help your business flourish.

Earlier today, I spent a couple hours at the United Nations and had a fantastic tour of the epicenter of diplomacy.  There is no mistaking that our current administration shook things up on the world stage. As the experience came to an end, I asked some interns what they personally learned from their experience and if there were any changes in their political opinions.  One of the young men said, more can be accomplished from diplomacy than bullying. While they all agreed that their patriotism is stronger than ever, they all agreed that they were impressed by how much can be accomplished if everyone set aside kneejerk reactions and focused on being diplomatic.