Recently, I listened to a TED talk that Daniel Lubetzki gave in April of 2024.
The title of the talk was “Why the World Needs More Builders – and Less Us vs. Them”.
You can listen to the podcast here or watch the video here.
I recommend you click the link and listen to the entire talk.
There are so many interesting points and ideas to consider.
Including how we focus on the extremes when it comes to divides yet most of us fall in the middle.
One quote I was particularly drawn to was this:
“The enemy is a mindset, not a person.” – Daniel Lubetzki
The talk had me exploring deeper to understand what Daniel Lubetzki is doing and writing.
I found a book he wrote in 2015 titled Do the KIND Thing: Think Boundlessly. Work Purposefully. Live Passionately.
In the summary of the book on Amazon it says:
“While other companies let circumstances force them into choosing between two seemingly incompatible options, people at KIND say “AND.” At its core, this idea is about challenging assumptions and false compromises.” – Amazon Book Summary, Do the Kind Thing
My Perspective
While the focus of the talk is on changing our communities, nation, and world, I believe there are many lessons that can be directly applied to the business world as well.
Silos.
Tensions over decisions.
And so much more.
We can debate the work or our perspectives, while still respecting that behind all the ideas are good people (not extremists) looking to do the right thing.
Remembering that most of us are “in the middle” is a great personal policy.
The idea of “AND” reminded me of my work at Saturn in the early 2000s.
We used to call it “win-win” and the concept has stayed with me through all the years.
Your Turn
If you listened to the talk, what were your key takeaways?
Do you agree that most of us fall in the middle of the extremes and could reach consensus?
How could you apply these ideas today?