06Jun

In these contentious times it’s important to remember that disagreements and differences of opinion aren’t zero sum games, battles to be won at all costs.

“Disagreement stems from differing points of view that may be anchored in deep-seated beliefs that each hold dear,” writes John Baldoni, internationally recognized leadership educator and author of 14 books. “The challenge is to put aside the animus and respect one another as sentient and capable. We can feel, and we can decide.”

Erisology, a term that first made its appearance in The Atlantic last year, is the study of destructive arguments, or, as the term’s creator John Nerst described it, “unsuccessful disagreement”. An unsuccessful disagreement is an exchange where people are no closer in understanding at the end than they were at the beginning, meaning the exchange has been mostly about talking past each other and/or hurling insults.”

These types of unsuccessful disagreements have always existed. In centuries past, they were constrained by the educated classes who were trained in the art of rhetoric and debate. The internet and the anonymity it offers loosened the rules and broadened the reach of zealots. As discussions grew more strident, they also often became more personal and adversarial.

Says Baldoni, “The reasons [for the stridency] are speculative — social media and the abnegation of fact — but the results are people believe what they want to believe and, in doing so, end up in separate camps. Such distancing is not healthy for our culture.”

What’s to be done? Baldoni’s prescription is personal:

  1. Do not pre-judge. See the person as an individual who has a point of view and not as a combatant.
  2. Listen carefully. “Invite the other to speak first. Stay calm, breath regularly and relax your facial muscles. Take a point the other has said and use it as an opening for a new line of discussion.”
  3. Argue dispassionately. Look for common ground. There is almost always something on which the two of you can agree. Then “use that commonality as a bridge to finding understanding.”

Following his advice isn’t easy, he admits, “These three steps, while easy to state, can be difficult to implement when tempers flare and more difficult still when people feel their values are under siege.” But as he says, these are tools that can be used to return civility to our disagreements.

“Our challenge is to put them to good use.”

Photo by Mad Fish Digital on Unsplash

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Jun 6, 2023

Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. with a ‘Day On’

Today we honor the memory of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Schools, financial markets, banks, government and many businesses will be closed. But, unlike in years past, because of COVID the nation will celebrate quietly. Parades and gatherings have been canceled with observances moved online.

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What hasn’t changed is the spirit of the day. MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service. It should be a “Day on, not a day off,” says AmeriCorps, which has led the day’s volunteer efforts since Congress first adopted the holiday.

Though in-person volunteer efforts are limited, AmeriCorps has dozens of COVID-safe suggestions for individuals, groups, businesses, and organizations. There’s also a search to find volunteer opportunities near where you are.

The work doesn’t have to be done today. But it can start today.

Photo by History in HD

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Jun 6, 2023

Optimism Growing for an Improving Job Market

Optimism is growing that the worst of the pandemic business retrenchment is over and that job growth may be just around the corner.

The Conference Board last week said its Employment Trends Index increased in January for the ninth consecutive month.

At the same time, Chief Executive released its latest poll of chief executive officers showing their confidence in future business conditions continues to grow. It is now where it was in February last year, just before the global business shutdown. Out of a possible 10 points, the 300+ CEOs scored their optimism about business conditions in the coming months at 7.1, a 2-year high.

In addition, Chief Executive reported that “A growing number of business leaders now forecast growth in revenues and capital expenditures as well. Meanwhile, they rated their confidence in current business conditions ‘good,’ at 6.2 out of 10.”

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The Conference Board’s Employment Index and its Leading Economic Index, released late last month, are both on an upswing, if a slow and uneven one. The LEI increased by 0.3% in December after improving by a more robust 0.9% in October and 0.7% in November.

“The US LEI’s slowing pace of increase in December suggests that US economic growth continues to moderate in the first quarter of 2021,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, senior director of economic research at The Conference Board.”Improvements in the US LEI were very broad-based among the leading indicators, except for rising initial claims for unemployment insurance and a mixed consumer outlook on business and economic conditions.”

The improvement in the Employment Trends Index has been far steadier and quicker. The index came in at 99.27 in January, a small .72 point improvement over December but a significant improvement from last spring when the index was just over 70. Still, the index is 10% lower than it was a year ago.

The Employment Trends Index is a leading composite index for employment, meaning it is an early indicator pointing to future job growth. “Turning points in the index indicate that a turning point in employment is about to occur in the coming months,” says The Conference Board. “The Employment Trends Index aggregates eight leading indicators of employment, each of which has proven accurate in its own area.”

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One of these, the number of workers employed by the staffing industry, has been a primary driver of improvement in the index, says Gad Levanon, head of The Conference Board Labor Markets Institute. “The Employment Trends Index has been increasing in recent months, with the largest contributing component being the number of jobs in the temporary help industry.”

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.95 million workers employed by the staffing industry at the beginning of 2020. Following the government ordered COVID shutdown, the number dropped to 1.95 million in April. Now, the latest BLS report says the staffing industry employed 2.7 million in January.

Though Levanon cautions we should expect some uncertainty around job growth due to the risk of the emerging COVID variants, by spring he says, “We expect strong job growth to resume and continue throughout the remainder of the year.”

Photo by Corey Agopian on Unsplash

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