YOU JUST LIVED through one of the craziest summers in political memory. For fast relief use PETER’S PRINCIPLES: a 12-step recovery guide for the politically perplexed. LISTEN to the podcast (it’s just over 22 minutes). READ a free preview of the companion book to the podcast series (it’s five pages long):  FOREWORD Previously, we released short podcast excerpts from interviews that illustrate  PETER’S PRINCIPLES such as: Rule of Law & Loyalty & Pragmatic Dreams Isn’t it good to know we have a Made-in-Alberta antidote to the current political and economic chaos? Tell your friends and colleagues on social media about PETER’S PRINCIPLES: a 12-step recovery guide for the politically perplexed. And if you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the series and the blog. Thanks!   credits_introduction_foreword             

CHARLIE FISCHER is a retired energy executive with fire in the belly. As former President & CEO of Nexen Inc., he led the company during a pivotal time in the development of the Alberta oil sands. In 2013, Nexen was sold to China’s CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation). In July of this year, Don Hill and I spoke with Charlie. He bristled at the thought of what’s happened to the investment climate in Alberta. He’s deeply concerned business and foreign capital is taking a pass on the province and Canada. Making Alberta an attractive place for investment is one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation with CHARLIE FISCHER: WE’VE INTERVIEWED MANY ALBERTANS who worked with, or were influenced by Premier Peter Lougheed & his exceptional team; people like CHARLIE FISCHER who have insights on Lougheed’s leadership principles. We’ll continue to post podcasts and even chapters of our book–PETER’S PRINCIPLES— in the weeks to come. TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe.               

BRENT HARDING worked on the inside of Alberta’s provincial government, including service with Minister Merv Leitch, a member of Peter Lougheed’s first cabinet in 1971. Like many civil servants I worked alongside in government, Brent is thoughtful, meticulous even, in his approach to serious questions like how and why did he feel part of Lougheed’s vision for Alberta. Don Hill and I spoke with Brent recently. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation; Brent talked about pragmatic dreams, one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES. WE’VE INTERVIEWED MANY ALBERTANS who worked with, or were influenced by Premier Lougheed & his exceptional team; people like BRENT HARDING who have insights on Lougheed’s leadership principles. We’ll continue to post more excerpts in the weeks to come. TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe.               

GEORGE DE RAPPARD is an Albertan who worked alongside Peter Lougheed for years (at one time as chief of staff in the Premier’s Office). George witnessed first-hand Premier Lougheed’s leadership and some pivotal moments in the province’s political history. Don Hill and I spoke with George recently. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation; George talked about loyalty, one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES. STAY TUNED to this space. We’ve interviewed many Albertans who worked with, or were influenced by Premier Lougheed & his exceptional team; people like George de Rappard who have insights on Lougheed’s leadership principles. We’ll continue to post more excerpts in the weeks to come. TELL YOUR FRIENDS about the articles & podcasts. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe.              Donna Kennedy-Glans, July 13th, 2018

What can you say about the Ontario provincial election? We — Donna Kennedy-Glans & Don Hill — have been speaking with people in Peter Lougheed’s circle of political colleagues, friends, admirers, and even critics (albeit it’s been friendly fire). And the thing that keeps coming up is how Peter Lougheed never spoke about being in power, but rather ‘in service’ to Albertans. Is this a reminder and message Millennials need to hear?  And what’s it going to be in Ontario — a provincial government in service or in power? PLEASE LISTEN to D2 (Donna & Don talking) about the election in Ontario, and what the result might foreshadow for upcoming provincial elections in Quebec, this fall, and next spring in Alberta (not to forget the federal election in 2019).        

We’ve started in on making Peter’s Principles, talking to people who worked alongside Peter Lougheed, and gaining support for the project. And last week, Don Hill and I learned about the secret sauce that launched a political dynasty in Alberta. Listen to our Podcast here:         

A GENERATION AGO, Peter Lougheed was the leader of Alberta. Our oil & gas wealth was the envy of the nation. So much so, Pierre Trudeau, the Prime Minister at the time, along with his minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, Marc Lalonde, created the National Energy Program.  In response, Premier Lougheed and his cabinet thought long and hard about what to do in response to this heavy-handed federal incursion. Turn down the taps – sound familiar? That’s one of PETER’S PRINCIPLES – be formidable, and lead smart. LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT from a conversation my colleague Don Hill had with Peter Lougheed in 2011. https://beyondpolarity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PETERS-PRINCIPLES_announce.mp3 Over the summer, I’ll tell you more about how you can participate and support a series of new podcasts & broadcasts about this extraordinary leader, his principles of leadership, and how we can put PETER’S PRINCIPLES into practice today. TELL YOUR FRIENDS and if you haven’t already, please subscribe.               

I have a challenge you can help me with. Right now, and please don’t second-guess yourself, think of the word conservative. What does it mean to you? Hold that thought, please. While I’m quite comfortable with change, I also take comfort in tradition. I believe in standards & best practices. I believe in the rule of law – I’m a lawyer – I value the principles given to me by my elders. That’s what I mean by conservative. And I’m not afraid to say that out loud. In fact, I’m tired of hearing ‘conservative’ being framed, often disparagingly, as a right-winger with views cast in concrete. It’s polarizing. People are simply trotting out a script. My journalist colleague calls it ‘message track’. For a moment, please resist the temptation to pick a political ‘side’. Here’s the challenge I mentioned off the top: What do you mean by conservative? I live in Alberta, so the question for me starts with what it means to be a conservative here. I grew up in Ontario, and although I’ve been long gone, I can’t deny a certain conservative influence – nearby America and it’s heartland, too. But, surprisingly, it’s my father’s recent passing that has crystallized some things for me. I’m the feminist who left the farm for the bright lights of the city. I studied law to understand ‘rights’. In spite of all that, my roots in that fertile farm soil never came loose. They still have a firm hold on my values and how I see the world. To recap: I’m trained as a lawyer. Was a provincial politician. Founded an NGO to train women in Yemen. I’ve even been a corporate insider. I get the power of rules and laws. The conditions were ripe for me to become a rights-wielding social justice warrior. But I’m not. Rarely do I rely on rights, alone, to move justice forward. My motivation comes from inside. Like it or not, I have an unshakeable sense of personal responsibility. I inherited this, from my father. To me, that’s the essence of being conservative. I’m no libertarian, eschewing all government. There’s a role for strong government to stabilize the economy, and to intervene when needed to deal with jobs and economic futures. To work with the private sector and others to protect the vulnerable. To be clear though, personal responsibility motivates me more than laws and rules. Take away my ability to make choices, and replace it with government’s authority, and I’m in agony. Over the coming weeks and months, I’m going to take a deep dive into this problematic question of what it means to be conservative in Alberta. And it’s heartening knowing I’m not alone in this quest. Many of you are reaching out, asking questions. I invite you to this space – I’m building it with partners — that will evolve here and a spot I trust you’ll begin to see yourself in. And I want to hear from you. I need to hear from you. How do you embrace traditions, build on history and conserve what is good…and all the while remain open to the new? I promise to share with you what I learn. In podcasts, in blog posts, maybe even in cartoons and pictures. And I welcome your honest feedback. This past week, I’ve had amazing & intense conversations with Albertans who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with one of Alberta’s most remarkable leaders, Peter Lougheed.  He was a progressive conservative. Both words: progressive and conservative might mean very different things to you. Why? Because Alberta is in crisis right now. More than ever, we need to understand how we went about building a better Alberta, decades ago. And how what we learned, then, can be applied to today. It’s not the first time Alberta’s economy has been bludgeoned by other governments in our own country. It’s not the first time Alberta has had no choice but to be formidable in defending our place in Canada’s Confederation. Right now, outsiders are telling Alberta’s story. And we’re letting them.

A FINAL big idea. Sometimes, you need to be formidable.  I’ve been on the ‘weaker’ side of many polarities over my life. Born a female in a patriarchal farming family. Working as a woman in a male-saturated oil industry. When I joined my husband’s Lutheran church, a place where women can’t be faith leaders and couldn’t even vote when I first joined. Working in countries around the world where daughters were invisible. I know that I have ‘white privilege’. I am aware of it and at the same time I’ve experienced great frustration in the places where I am less privileged.  Acknowledging the diversity within yourself–and reconciling that– can be helpful as you move into the work of reconciling with others. As explained, I’ve usually assumed some change leadership role from the edge of the inside of these places – my family, energy companies, the church, the communities where I lived, political parties. Gratefully, I can see the small wins and sustain some level of confidence to keep moving. But not always. 2014 was one of those times when I was stopped in my tracks for a few months. When I chose to leave the Alberta Cabinet under the leadership of Alison Redford, and to sit as an Independent MLA. I understood my options. Had reflected on my choices. And knew I had to act, I had to step out. There have been times when I’ve had no choice but to be formidable. Because I couldn’t live with myself, otherwise. I don’t do it often. And, sometimes I don’t even see it coming. But as I get older, I’m recognizing the signs, the triggers. I can live with deniers, I deplore opportunists, but what really gets under my skin are the self-righteous. When I see someone taking advantage of others for their own gain, and especially in the name of ‘virtue’, my blood curdles. When we ask if Margaret Atwood is a bad feminist because she believes in due process for men accused of sexual harassment, I get formidable. The judgement, the disdain, the scorn. Looking down on those who live contrary to the values of the in-group. Twisted pride in distancing yourself from those you see as unenlightened. One of my moments of greatest angst in the last two years was being treated as a victim of misogyny; by other women! When I decided to run as leader of the PC Party in Alberta, then stepped away from the race for entirely rational reasons, I didn’t feel weak and I certainly didn’t feel like a victim. But that’s how I was painted and people wouldn’t even talk to me about how I saw this situation. The media and women’s advocates had already decided. As they spoke for me, I felt powerless. I see a bit of the same happening in the #MeToo movement. Some women I mentor tell me they find the movement increasingly hard to identify with.  As it slides from a movement about supporting women who have been sexually exploited. As it shifts from the much needed conversation about consent and sexual responsibility. Into an uncomfortable territory that paints women as almost infantile. As victims, incapable of speaking up or saying no. Painting a majority of men in our culture as toxically masculine. As potential abusers, harassers or serial predators. These situations bring out the formidable in me. IDEA #7: When you must, be formidable. Conclusions. There you have it. 7 Ideas for Life: An Antidote to Polarity. In the coming months and years, polarities will likely intensify – decide how you are going to approach that. My suggestion to you? Step in, shoulders squared, heart and mind open, building bridges where possible, being creative and purposeful in your decision making. And, when needed, be willing to be formidable. Thank you for caring enough to want to move beyond polarity. If you enjoyed this series of blogs & accompanying podcasts, please share with others. And,

WE ALL HOLD POWER when it comes to decision-making. You may have top-down authority to make a decision. You may have the expertise and credibility to influence a decision,  to offer up new ideas. You may have the legitimacy to constructively dissent to a decision that affects you directly. You may be motivated to block implementation of a decision that you don’t like. Making or influencing or blocking a decision that affects others is a big deal. It’s a choice, a skill and a responsibility. It is a precious power. As a politician, it was a serious responsibility making policy choices on behalf of constituents. One of the most precious decisions I ever made  was to support Gay-Straight-Alliances (GSAs) in schools. Decision-making here was tricky. Provincial politicians decide policy. Advocates and parents and school boards all speak for students. Yet a decision about expressing one’s sexuality is profoundly personal. As we all know youth who haven’t shared their sexual identity with their families can be vulnerable. Preserving a student’s ability to decide when and how to come out is protecting that student’s decision-making power as an individual. In my corporate life, decision-making wasn’t that clear-cut either.  Authority, influence, persuasion, group-think and coercion all reared their heads when a critical decision needed to be made. You may have seen this too. Right now, there’s a big shift happening. Power is spreading. It’s easier to get. The Occupy movements, the Arab Spring, WikiLeaks, #MeToo,  and environmental advocates who are able to overwhelm regulatory processes and shut down oil pipelines in Canada are proof. If you have formal authority, it’s never been harder to use. Techniques to block the use of power are gaining strength: veto, diversion, interference, foot-dragging, vexatious litigation. Social license can now be more powerful than the rule of law. Obviously, the concentration of power in the hands of a few isn’t good; it’s tyranny. On the other end of the spectrum, overly-diffused power can lead to chaos. How can you find and support approaches that give decision-makers enough power to be effective, but not too much? Let me share an experience of what I felt was exceptional decision-making.  A model of the power of sharing power.   It happened in front of me in an unlikely place, the island of Socotra, Yemen, a military dictatorship. I was there as part of Canada Bridges, with the local leaders, the Yemeni Minister of Public Health and Population and the meetings host, a local Sheikh. The military were told to put down their guns. The Minister of Health and the local Sheikh sat on a blanket, face to face. The Minister leaned in,  listening intently, rarely speaking. Also in attendance, the Minister’s healthcare experts, local faith leaders, and villagers–men and women and children. After pleasantries, the crisis to be resolved was put on the table. How could this remote island improve the health of young mothers and their babies? Specifically, the problem of girls being married as “child brides”, their young, undeveloped bodies unable to safely bear babies. From my point of view, this was heartbreaking. The Minister of Health had the power to unilaterally set healthcare policy. Yet he chose to travel to Socotra and listen closely. The policy decisions made reflected this. They agreed to better healthcare during pregnancy and education on birth-control choices. Most critically, local faith leaders undertook to use their influence to condemn personal decisions by locals to marry child brides, the root cause of the crisis. It’s fairly easy to see how this decision could have gone other ways, with less sensitivity and potentially less uptake. IDEA #6, treat your role in decision-making as the precious exercise of power that it is.