Karthik Ramanna, a Professor at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government and author of 'The Age of Outrage,' dives into the challenges leaders face in a polarized world. He emphasizes the importance of temperance in leadership, noting that addressing all demands is nearly impossible. Karthik suggests creating spaces for connection during times of outrage and establishing pre-arranged workgroups to facilitate problem-solving. He shares insights from successful peace-building initiatives, highlighting the need for empathy, humility, and effective team guidelines.
37:26
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Origins of Outrage
Societal outrage stems from fear of the future, distrust in institutions, and a perceived raw deal.
These factors combine with a fracturing of societal consensus and a return to tribal instincts.
insights INSIGHT
Leaders as Part of the Problem
Leaders can never fully address all demands and will be seen as part of the problem, regardless of their actions.
This highlights the need for selflessness and managing perceptions in leadership.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
The Power of Temperance
Embrace temperance, prioritizing calming environments and de-escalation over heroic leadership.
Temperate leaders create space for diverse views and build consensus through strong institutions.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
This book provides a framework for leaders to navigate the increasing outrage in modern society. Based on his popular Oxford leadership course and case studies on organizations like IKEA, Nestlé, and the Vatican, Karthik Ramanna offers practical steps to analyze the root causes of outrage, develop mission-consistent responses, and build resilience. The book addresses the current drivers of outrage, including economic and social prospects, historical grievances, and ideological divisions, and presents a five-step framework to 'turn down the temperature' and manage crises effectively[1][3][5].
High Conflict
Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out
Amanda Ripley
In High Conflict, Amanda Ripley delves into the phenomenon of 'high conflict,' which is distinct from the useful friction of healthy conflict. High conflict involves good-versus-evil feuds that lead to an 'us versus them' mentality, altering brain behavior and increasing feelings of superiority while worsening the conflict. The book follows various individuals in different contexts, including a conflict expert in California, a Chicago gang leader, and communities in Colombia, to illustrate how people get trapped in and eventually escape high conflict. Ripley highlights common forces such as conflict entrepreneurs, humiliation, and false binaries that drive high conflict and provides insights on how to transform these conflicts into productive ones by rehumanizing opponents and reviving curiosity and wonder.
Karthik Ramanna: The Age of Outrage
Karthik Ramanna is a professor of business and public policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, where he has served as director of one of the world’s most diverse leadership programs. Previously a professor at Harvard Business School, he studies how organizations and leaders build trust with stakeholders. He is the author of The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World.
In a lot of ways, leadership is better than it was a generation ago. One way that it isn’t better? Figuring out how to lead effectively in an increasingly polarized world. In this conversation, Karthik and I explore what leaders can do to turn down the temperature on outrage.
Key Points
We tend to frame effective leadership as heroic. In times of outrage, the virtue of temperance becomes essential.
A leader will never fully address the demands made of them, regardless of how well they act.
Even when a leader resolves problems, they will be viewed as part of the problem.
Anticipate times of outrage and create spaces that calm people physically and help them connect with each other.
Establish rules of engagement outside moments of outrage so that you have a starting point.
Create pre-arranged workgroups that can help illuminate a path forward for the larger organization.
Resources Mentioned
The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World by Karthik Ramanna
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192)
The Way Out of Major Conflict, with Amanda Ripley (episode 529)
Three Practices for Thriving in Negotiations, with William Ury (episode 669)
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
Coaching for Leaders 
