Building Better Teams
Braver Angels as a Model
Back in 2018 when communities were feeling the fracture from the political noise, I had a friend say to me “if only we could talk to the other side”. That sentence began my journey into organizing workshops with Braver Angels. I too had been feeling that way. I live in a small village in upstate NY. Cutting off a large segment of my neighbors because of our political viewpoints didn’t make sense to me. I’d heard of Braver Angels (then called Better Angels) bringing polar opposite groups together for dialog in moderated workshops. I too wanted to experience that in my community.
Teams too can follow the same Braver Angels model. We’re often siloed with our own viewpoints wanting to promote our respective goals. Bringing stakeholders together for dialog will make stronger teams.
Planning for the first Red-Blue workshop takes time and dedication. It brings together a small, evenly divided group of conservatives and liberals, or “reds” and “blues,” for a series of exercises designed to help participants clarify disagreements, reduce stereotyped thinking, and discover common values. I was able to draw on friendships with my neighbors to start the conversation. I found stakeholders in the community that also had the desire to “talk to the other side”. Using my door-to-door approach of reaching out, I was able to build on trust, and get commitment to come to the table; not to change minds, but to have dialog.
One of the exercises at the Red-Blue workshop, is for breakout groups of similar persuasion to discuss their “kernel of truth”. After completing this exercise, the groups come back to the larger group to explain what they had come up with. The impact of the exercise was profound. When the other group heard that the opposite side was able to acknowledge their “kernel of truth”, it gave wiggle room to the listening side to not be as rigid about their own beliefs. It softened the conversation. By the end of the workshop, the observers and participants were able to see their neighbors, with a new found perspective.
This approach of bringing all stakeholders of a team together can also have a profound effect on the team. What is the kernel of truth to the idea that has been viewed with tunnel vision? By expressing ideas in this format, a team can work towards consensus with contributors feeling valued.
Being able to come together as a community felt right to many of the attendees. It gave us a forum to begin dialog where the opportunity didn’t exist previously. The output from the workshops was a Braver Angel Alliance. It was made possible because participants had the desire to continue the dialog. The work of the Alliance carries over to our interactions outside of the group. In social media debate, I have experienced an alliance member that has defended my point of view and visa versa. We have learned to trust and to not rush to a conclusion.
The impact of a valued idea is immeasurable at first. Consensus does take time to process. When a safe space is created to share an idea, the team will flourish.
Linda Salzer is a Senior Network Engineer working to pivot towards a technical Product Manager position.
Information on Braver Angels, can be found here: https://braverangels.org
