We The People
Let’s return to our collective spirit and history of our Bill of Rights. 1) We are more alike than different. 2) Find People Right. 3) Debate the issue not the person
Hi Everyone,
Over the past several months, and especially this last election week, I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about 1st Principles. I love history and believe in learning from history so today I’m going to talk about the 1st Principles of America.
Mostly, I’m just getting this out of my head and “writing it down” on paper so I can set it free.
In a post a long while back I talked about “It’s the People”. I’m a huge believer in teams and solving things together. So my “We The People” combines my belief in people with my learnings from history.
At the end of this post is the original Schoolhouse Rock video that my generation grew up on. For those of you who remember, I can already see the smile. For most of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, this is one of those nostalgic classic shows I recommend you go search and explore and especially if you have your own kids.
WE THE PEOPLE
America was born out of disagreement. The founders argued bitterly over government power, the role of states, taxation, and foreign alliances. Hamilton, the play/show, was a great teacher here.
Back then, however, our leaders always anchored themselves in the shared principles of being American before fighting for their differences. The Bill of Rights was the best example of this anchoring. A set of unarguable truths; “We find these truths to be self-evident….” declaring non-negotiable common ground for everyone: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to assemble, due process under the law.
These 1st principles weren’t partisan. They were our foundation. We began this country and our society with what made us alike, not with what made us different.
Thomas Jefferson said:
“Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle.”
Patrick Henry famously said in 1799, “United we stand, divided we fall.” My high school soccer coach taught us similar words “We Win As a Team and We Lose As A Team”.
I started thinking and writing a list of how the best teams become great. My own version of a “Team’s Bill of Rights” or “Team Behaviors/Values”. This is why great cultures and great teams in business actually lead with their own set of written down, spoken out loud, and reinforced actions that make their stated values real.
Here’s my top 5 team values:
1. We Are More Alike Than Different
In the heat of any argument, it’s easy to forget how much we share and how much we are way more alike than we are different. I believe 9 out of 10 people would help their neighbor if their house caught fire regardless of their politics or religion. We all want safety for our families. We all want opportunity and success for our children. We all want the dignity, respect, and to be treated fairly. We want independence and freedom to pursue our own paths with minimal interference of somebody else telling us or forcing us to behave in a fixed way.
Somewhere along the line of history, and it’s likely been exacerbated by the passive-aggressive behind-the-screen technologies including social media, we have forgotten that we are more alike than different, and it appears a majority of America begins any conversation or debate almost reflexively with division and how we are different with barely a mention of how we are alike.
We look for the ways the “other side” is wrong before acknowledging the ways “they” are right. This reflexive instinct not only poisons our public debates, it also poisons our private social media channels. I don’t hate a lot of things but I really dislike the word “They” in general. In the USA, it’s always been and should forever be “US” + “America”… no matter how much we disagree.
We’ve lost sight and now must remind “US” of the reason why our nation’s Bill of Rights was created in the first place; we must first agree on the core principles that unite us before we can expect any debate to be constructive. We must once again find compromise and meet towards the middle (vs the extremes) of any negotiations with “US”.
2. The Power of “Finding People Right”
What if our starting point in every disagreement was to find the other person right before finding them wrong? This doesn’t mean we need to agree with every point, but please can we find just one point we agree with… I know there is at least one.
These starting “points” are what’s needed in today’s world. I believe we all know instinctively there are several of these starting points we all value. We may have different ideas on how to achieve this value… but the value is many times the same and it’s the value we can agree on before we disagree on the “how”.
A neighbor who argues for stricter gun control is valuing safety.
A friend who resists those same measures is valuing personal liberty to protect themselves.
Both are right in the core value of safety and “1st principle”. And yes, many on “both sides” will disagree on how to achieve safety but end up talking over each other vs understanding each other.
Team PlayBook/Team Practice: The next time you are in a heated argument with your leadership team, or any team, try first finding something the other person or people are right about before shaping their narrative toward the other 1st principles that are being suppressed or forgotten. Because we, ourselves, can’t show up in the ways we want to show up without first practicing and modeling new behaviors.
3. Debate as a Meeting Ground, Not a Battlefield
Our founders didn’t design the First Amendment to eliminate disagreement. They actually enshrined free speech so disagreement could thrive. Recently, I’ve heard “both sides” blaming the other for trying to destroy free speech. Therefore, by definition, both sides believe in this core value. Let’s start with that agreement!
But when debate is used as a false prophet to shout people down, we are debating wrong. Debates have historically been a respectful meeting ground, a place where ideas could clash without attacking the people or trying to destroy the person. Debate the idea not the person. Be respectful. Don’t personalize the debate.
Today’s debate-driven world treats debate as a weapon or a way to score points, discredit, or cancel “them”. We need to recover the constitutional spirit: disagreement as problem-solving, not enemy-making.
This requires the discipline of first acknowledging where someone is “right” and where we both share core values before pointing out where the idea is not the best way to cement our shared values.
Team PlayBook/Team Practice: Change the way you debate. Start with the core idea in the other side’s argument that you can build upon in a better way. Stop personalizing the other side’s argument. Debate the idea not the person. Keep it respectful.
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PlayBook for Bringing “2 Sides” Together
1. Name and Headline the common ground first. Start with core values and 1st principles. Do not lie, cheat, or steal. Do not kill. Do no harm. This cannot be that hard to agree to.
2. Find the shared beliefs and values behind the opposing view. You are in the same company and on the same team after all. Instead of shouting, “You’re wrong,” try, “I think we both agree on ____.”
3. Start with Desired Outcomes; The Shared Solution; Agree on that 1st
Work hard to define “the future”, the “shared desired solution/outcome”. Solving problems together is when we’ve always been at our best. Compromise is a tool, not a weakness. Giving up a few points to solve the collective point is THE POINT!
This framework doesn’t erase differences. Debate is great when it’s framed in “Best Ideas Win” (another key point I’ve written a lot about here on this blog).
We are never all going to agree on everything… far from it. We need to start with US and focus on our strengths vs our differences. It starts and ends with the fact that we are both humans.
4. Best Ideas Win: It’s 1:15 not 15:1
5. Trust & Transparency
Final Thoughts
As a leader, help develop a “Bill of Rights” for your team(s). Call them 1st Principles if you want. Create the same cultural contract that helped create the country and are the foundations of all great company cultures. In the heat of the battle, when things turn ugly, take a deep breath and remind yourself and your team that “United We Stand and Divided We Fall” and “We Win and Lose As A Team”.
Do your part to help your team(s) return to this starting point. Maybe, just maybe, we can all lead by example and change the way we engage, debate, and negotiate across workplaces and our communities, and it will seep into our politics.
Because in the end, creating a winning team (and a democracy) is not about finding each other wrong, it’s about finding each other right, learning from each other’s mistakes, and picking up our teammates to go to battle with them again.
For anyone thinking this is all too Pollyannaish, I’m living by my personal mantra of “Don’t Let The Naysayers Get You Down” and will remind everyone that we’ve had other dark days in our history (Civil War, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights) where, during these periods, we also didn’t live by our own words:
“We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident…”
I remain hopeful that “this too shall pass” and we will once again see ourselves as neighbors and fellow Americans.
Historical source docs for easier access to other historians:
“We The People” - Preamble to the Constitution
The Bill of Rights (our first 10 Amendments to the Constitution)
Full transcript summarized here:
Now for the Schoolhouse Rock thing I promised. As I stated, many of my generation grew up on Schoolhouse Rock and memorized this little ditty. “We the People” was my all time favorite… 2nd favorite was “Conjunction Junction What’s Your Function”.
If you ever find me in a bar or the cocktail hour of an event, I promise I can and will recite this and for a 2nd drink… sing this for you.
