Navigating Polarities for Better Work and Life w/ Brian Emerson

Brian Emerson is the founder of Andiron where he helps organizations and leaders harness the power of polarities. Brian also teaches about paradox in leadership and organizations at Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, and Georgetown's Institute for Transformational Leadership. He is the co-author of Navigating Polarities: Using Both/And Thinking to Lead Transformation.

Mentioned on the Show

• Learn more about Brian’s firm Andiron: https://andiron.com/
• Check out the Key Polarity Indicator to evaluate polarity indicators you may encounter in the workplace or in life: https://keypolarityindicator.com/
• Brian's book, Navigating Polarities: Using Both/And Thinking to Lead Transformation: https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Polarities-Using-Thinking-Transformation/dp/1733382836/
• Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-emerson

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Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/

Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/

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Timestamps

(3:17) - How does one decide to get a PhD in ‘paradox’?
(4:39) - What research were you doing to get your PhD?
(5:46) - Is there a definition of polarity you like the most?
(6:54) - Why is it so hard to find the middle ground?
(13:51) - What makes a polarity and what doesn’t?
(15:52) - Why is the abortion debate a bad example of a polarity?
(17:50) - Why is the gun rights debate a better example?
(20:09) - Does overindexing on a pole cause an equal and opposite reaction from people on the other pole?
(23:19) - How do you counteract the magnetism of the pole?
(24:50) - How do we land in a more sustainable middle ground?
(32:35) - How do we start to unwrap people from the poles they’re attached to?
(37:57) - How do you use this to navigate life?
(47:10) - How do we protect ourselves from people manipulating our poles?
(51:15) - How can people find you and engage in this type of work?