Tim Dixon, co-founder of More in Common, joins Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to offer research-based strategies leaders can use to bridge divides in the workplace and in their communities. Dixon founded the organization after the 2016 murder of his close friend Jo Cox, a British politician who was slain for her opposition to Brexit. Today, More in Common helps political leaders and social-change movements in the United States and elsewhere devise strategies to strengthen their coalitions by including unlikely allies.
Bridging divides is top-of-mind for nonprofit leaders today. Nearly two-thirds of nonprofit executives say the nation’s divisions are making their jobs tougher, according to an exclusive Chronicle of Philanthropy survey.
Palmer asked Dixon how to overcome the most difficult challenges.
Among his key points:
- Coalitions of unlikely partners are a key to success. Start at the local level, where people can rally behind ways to solve local problems and get over the hurdles of working with people who hold different views.
- Leaders must manage divides within their organization — not ignore them. Bridging divides is an essential leadership skill. When fractures occur between a leader and the staff or among staff members or trustees, be sure to explain how decisions are made and hold small-group discussions that allow real exchanges among staff members, ideally in person.
- Focus on shared values to build consensus. When you’re advocating on an issue, keep in mind that most people have strongly held values — but they often have more fluid views on issues. That means as long as you appeal to their values, you can sway opinion on policy.
“What we are dealing with isn’t the first time that any society has been riven by profound polarization,” Dixon says. We can get beyond that, he says, with leadership, with imagination, “and by starting and finishing with people.”
Learn more about Dixon and the origins of More in Common in this interview with Chronicle senior editor Drew Lindsay.
And for more inspiration on how leaders are forging unlikely coalitions in their communities, check out The Commons, our special section exploring how nonprofits and foundations are bringing together a divided America. For further leadership insights, turn to our special report “Leadership at the Crossroads.”
Nonprofits Now: Leading Today is produced by Emily Haynes and Reasonable Volume, with editorial direction from Margie Fleming Glennon.
