Good Unites

"All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers". 

François Fénelon (1651-1715), French archbishop, theologian, poet and writer 

Some of you may not like what I’m about to say — or even feel it doesn’t belong here on LinkedIn or in this newsletter. But it’s in my heart, so here goes. 

The sentiment of “united we stand, divided we fall” goes back at least to Aesop in the 6th century BCE. Since then, it has been expressed repeatedly, across the world, in many ways. If there are any universal human ideals, this must be one. 

And yet over the years I have seen, in client organizations, a handful of people who will divide others to advance their personal interests. They play politics, they badmouth, they look to take advantage of schisms rather than seek to overcome them, or they even create these schisms – and then exploit them. 

In some ways, division is easier than unity. My friend and client Matt Scogin is the president of Hope College, a Christian college in western Michigan. He is seeking to make Hope welcoming to people of different Christian beliefs and to those of other religions or of no religious tradition. But he has been clear: it’s a harder way to go. Extreme positions that draw stark lines are an easier sell. Across sectors, division sells. News organizations are just one proof point. 

Yes, I have politics in mind as I write this. Say what you will about the specific policies of the current U.S. administration. What saddens and concerns me most is the divisiveness. No surprise, I disagree with many of the policies. But the essential responsibility of any leader is to strengthen the whole. 

My invitation to you: find ways in your workplace, in your community, and among your family and friends, to be that unifying force. Stand up to a divider. There are so many ways to do it – some large, others fleeting but significant. Mikhail Gorbachev, Nobel Peace Prize winner and the last leader of the Soviet Union, said: “Peace is not unity in similarity but unity in diversity, in the comparison and conciliation of differences.” 

Unity isn’t agreement. It’s the choice to be in it together.