I live in Santa Cruz, California.
It’s a fine place by the Ocean with great communities.
It’s also probably no different than any other county in our modern world. We’re increasingly suffering from polarized views on pretty much every matter.
I know our brains love finding a shortcut and reaching peace of mind with a clear outcome.
But a simple YES or NO just doesn’t fit most complex issues.
The most recent example I can find is about an upcoming local election. It includes – among others – choices we have to make on a rail/trail measure, aka Measure D.
It sounds simple, but it’s a rather complex initiative that’s been in the making for years with its stop-and-go issues, amendments and millions already spent.
To summarize the situation to the extreme, voters are presented with two choices:
- Either vote yes if they want a better walk/bike trail and/or don’t see the value in a rail transportation service.
- Or vote no if they can live with a lower quality trail and/or think a rail transportation service throughout the county is of higher value.
The issue has become quite polarizing. Our neighborhoods are starting to look like battlefields with Yes or No signs placarded on front yard lawns. Every single day, promoters of each camp try to make their point and find new arguments.
As importantly, most are utterly convinced they’re right and the other side is wrong. It all takes a toll on relationships.
I don’t know what the vote result will be. I’m not even sure what to choose for myself.
But I wish there would be alternatives to just Yes or No. Even if it’s something like a “Yes and…” or “No and…”
This situation is a typical illustration of what we have to face every day in our lives, at work or home. We constantly have to choose between just two options: Yes or No.
That binary approach is acceptable – and effective – for simple situations, like choosing that healthy salad over a highly processed meal.
But it shows its limitations for more complex issues. Such issues require upfront work to ensure alignment on the challenge, a more balanced view of the pros and cons, and a deep look at alternatives.
In my Measure D example, what makes it complex is that not everyone has the same hierarchy of challenges at hand: one group thinks it’s first a traffic and transportation issue, another believes it’s an environmental question, while others are more focused on their access to the beach, the need for more recreational paths or the cost of such measures for taxpayers.
With such a diversity of points of view, you don’t solve the equation with just a Yes or No.
You ask different questions, and you consider alternatives.
Back to my Measure D example, some of these questions would be:
– What if there was no trail and no rail in that corridor?
– What if we were investing in clean bus services with their dedicated lane on Highway 1?
– What could be other creative ways to economically add green traffic capabilities?
I trust you get the point.
Handling complex issues requires strong leadership.
The kind of leader who’s not afraid of respectfully probing the real questions first, prioritizing the issues at hand, and helping creative ideas blossom.
The answers will be less divisive and bring more alignment.
It’s easier said than done! But to start, make sure you:
– Challenge any simplistic Yes or No choice on the next complex issue you face.
– Respectfully qualify the problems at hand.
– Enlist help from the best talent.
– And build alternative plans and scenarios.
Chances are, you’ll end up with a decent solution.