Indira Naidoo Harris interviews Dalton McGuinty скачать в хорошем качестве

Indira Naidoo Harris interviews Dalton McGuinty

The Pearson Centre recently had the honour of hosting former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty for a conversation about his new book, Be a Good One. A compact collection of 357 quotes which have stood the test of time, McGuinty’s book offers advice on leadership and growing a career while, most importantly, remaining a “good one.” Guided by The Pearson Centre’s Board member Indira Naidoo Harris, also a political powerhouse who has served as an MP and also former Ontario Minister of Education, McGuinty emphasized the importance of rising above frustration and anger during the current period of global democratic decline. He explained that his book is meant to serve as a practical, pocket-sized resource for people in public life, with all funds supporting a youth-focused democracy education fund. McGuinty reflected on the challenges facing democracy today, noting rising intolerance and divisive politics. While acknowledging this difficult moment, he reminded us that democracies have faced periods of decline before. The quotes McGuinty uses in his book transcend time and place, and show that the best leaders are those who foster respect, civility, and hope. Leaders, he emphasized, should appeal to the best in people. “Don’t be a jerk. We can do that on our own!” At their best, leaders reinforce common ground and bring people together. McGuinty, who served as Premier for over a decade, “fell in love with the adventure and experiment of democracy.” He knows firsthand that politicians often begin with an earnest desire to help people, but then discover it’s not all smooth sailing; it’s in this disjuncture that intolerance and divisive leadership can take hold. Particularly in the difficult times we are facing right now, McGuinty emphasized, leaders have a duty to resist the temptations to divide and attack each other, and instead ask the question “What do we owe each other?” Humans have a tendency to respond “in kind” with our issues of the day, which means that anger is met with anger. Citing Barush Spinoza from 1677, McGuinty stressed that we must seek to understand human actions, and recognize that holding a different opinion is not a character flaw. Instead, common ground must be encouraged and fostered. The question of what we owe each other, as opposed to “what’s in it for me,” is one that has benefitted Canada through its entire history. Canada is rare in that it is founded on the very premise that we can find strength in diversity – diversity of religion, language, culture. This is rare, but it was not by chance. Our strength lies in the belief that unity can be found in, and built on the foundation of, diversity. McGuinty identified economic inequality as a key threat to democracy. If people feel the system has stopped working for them, they become vulnerable to polarizing messages. Leaders must choose which “dog to feed” – anger or hope – and use storytelling to reconnect people to a shared sense of purpose and hope. One of McGuinty’s strongest messages is that hope is not simply a passive feeling, it is an active duty, and the paramount duty for our leaders. At a time when hope is breaking down for many Canadians through a sense of malaise at best, and despair at worst, McGuinty emphasized that leaders have an obligation to be hopeful, and arm themselves with faith in the goodness of people. Politics can be corrosive, but we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and political leaders must believe deeply in our capacity to make progress and work together. After all, despite the horrors of today’s world, progress is still happening; there are more girls in school than ever before and globally conflict is down, to mention two examples. McGuinty closed with some words of advice for new or future leaders. Your job as a leader, he said, is not to despair with people, it is to give them reason to be hopeful. One of the strongest tools we have as humans is our capacity for storytelling. The universe is not made up of atoms, it is made up of stories. People connect to stories. Use stories to find common ground, and listen to other people’s stories. Pay attention to the issues of the day, chart your own path, and politics will be a rewarding pursuit.