Friday Notes, November 10, 2023
Dear Friends —
I think I’ve cracked the code on how to organize a good team retreat, and I’m going to share the secrets here. (This confidence comes from a bunch of good experiences in which I’ve worked with colleagues to curate and refine agendas and activities. None of it is rocket science, as they say, but some of it is behavioral science.)
Here are the five essentials:
Absolutely no technology. That means no laptops, no PowerPoints, and phones out only at break times.
An agenda that alternates between “breathing in” and “breathing out.” When we’re breathing in, we’re doing individual or small group work; when we’re breathing out, we’re actively sharing ideas across small groups or, even better, playing.
Gamification whenever possible. A little friendly competition, a prize here and there, an engaging format like Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit. It sounds corny but it is the most sure-fire way to transform passive listening into active learning.
A combination of nature and long breaks, or “downtime.” People who need some time alone can find it; many people will pair up for a walk outside — the ideal conditions for connection.
Some making. The experience of working together for two hours to create something — preferably a solution to a narrowly defined problem — is worth more than a dozen hours of talk.
(My former colleagues at the Hewlett Foundation created a “retreat kit” with lots of ideas about how to implement all of the above, including a planning calendar, description of the roles on the organizing team, session formats, and more. I’m happy to share a “public” version upon request. Just reply to this email or drop me a line at ruthelevine150@gmail.com.)
Anyone with a passing interest in the fate of U.S. democracy had to take notice of the election results from Tuesday. The headline on Tom Bonier’s opinion essay in the New York Times says it all: “American Elections are About Abortion Now.” Bonier writes:
Abortion rights won big on Tuesday night. In Ohio, a constitutional amendment enshrining protections for abortion rights was on the ballot, and in Virginia, control of both chambers of the state legislature was considered a tossup, and both parties made abortion rights the central issue of their campaigns. The pro-abortion-rights measure in Ohio passed by a wide margin. In Virginia, the Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, made his proposal for a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy the central argument for electing Republicans in the state legislature. Republicans failed to win back control in the Senate and lost their narrow majority in the House of Delegates as turnout surged to historically high levels in key swing districts . . . .
[I]t is now clearer than ever that the backlash against the Dobbs decision — and voters’ general distaste for strictly limiting abortion access — could play a crucial role in winning Mr. Biden a second term.
It has long been the case that most Americans support abortion rights; poll after poll showed that. But, before the overturning of the Federal right to abortion, the most committed “single-issue voters” were anti-choice. Now, with multiple ballot initiatives in which voters can express their views directly on this single issue, we are seeing just how strong the support is — and just how motivated voters are by the Supreme Court’s undoing of a 50-year-old precedent. In state after state, especially the red and purple ones, we are seeing that representative democracy is failing to reflect the will of the people, and ballot initiatives serve as the work-around that permits that will to prevail. (I’ll save the very valid critique of ballot initiatives for another day.)
Abortion is one example in which there is a wide (and widening?) gap between what elected officials do and what the people want, but it sure isn’t the only one. Here are some more, compiled primarily from YouGov polling, as cited in “50 Surprising Things Americans Actually Agree On.”
73% of Americans think teachers should be paid more, and that this is the Number One solution to the teacher shortage.
Close to two-thirds of Americans either strongly or somewhat support policies that would prevent landlords from raising rent as a means of preventing eviction. About the same share — 60% of Americans — support increasing spending on public housing.
Some 67% of Americans say the government should offer medical-debt forgiveness.
Among Americans, 61% believe that illegal immigration is a problem in the United States.
About 58% of Americans want stricter gun laws.
These are nationally-representative statistics, and there’s a lot of variation by state. But, as the abortion voting shows, even in states with Conservative legislatures and/or governors — especially in those states — the disconnect between what people want and what the politicians do is vast.
On the one hand, this is cause for dismay. Representatives are meant to represent their constituents rather than donors or demagogues. On the other hand, it’s a cause for optimism. If we can figure out how the will of American voters can be made manifest in election outcomes, there’s a chance government could solve some big problems in the right way.
Produced before the Ohio ballot initiative vote, this John Oliver hot take is still worth watching.
If you are struggling with your thoughts about anything related to what’s happening in Israel and Gaza, I highly recommend listening to (or reading) this essay by Hala Alyan. She says:
I don’t hesitate for an instant to condemn the killing of any child, any massacre of human life. This includes, of course, Jewish life. It is the easiest ask in the world. and it is not in spite of that, but because of that, I say condemn the brutalizaiton of bodies. By all means, do. Condemn murder, condemn violence, imprisonment, all forms of oppression.
But if your shock comes only at the sight of certain brutalized bodies, if you speak out but not when Palestinian bodies are besieged and murdered, abducted, and imprisoned, then it is worth asking yourself, which brutalization is acceptable to you, even quietly, even subconsciously, and which is not. Name the discrepancy and own it. If you can’t be equitable, be honest.
These are the words we all need to hear — and say.
Can’t follow that with a joke, so I won’t. But here’s a preview of next week: A gift guide, with something for everyone!
Have a good weekend,
-Ruth