Stalwart Leadership in the Face of Dogma

Rogan is slamming Trump on aggressive deportations... Shapiro is hedging and acting as if he never favoured tariffs... Others are going radio silent on divisive issues.
The majority of citizens are unhappy and getting vocal. How can the talking heads so quickly abandon ideology?
It’s audience management, and they will go with the masses.

Want to know if the ship’s going down? Watch the rats - they are only committed to their stomachs, not the boat.

Dreadfully Entertaining? Yes. But I'm also concerned as a leadership advisor.

My Thoughts For Leaders.
Because what you’re watching play out in the media will happen inside organizations - if you’re not careful, it’ll eat your culture alive.

DEI. ESG. Mere months ago, these were accepted as non-negotiable “permission to play” policies: Now, they are lightning rods.

As a leader, you need more than policy to navigate dogma. You need structure, visible commitment, and a firm connection to values and purpose.

Here’s what execs, presidents, and founders find helpful:

1. Lead culture actively and visibly.
“We can disagree, but not destroy.”
Freedom of thought isn’t a license to intimidate, distract, or divide.

2. Disarm tribal shorthand.
Woke. MAGA. Snowflake.
These words don’t create clarity - they trigger identity wars.
Force people to speak in complete thoughts, not bumper stickers.

​3. Refocus on people’s impact with better questions.
“How does that belief affect how we serve our client?”
Observing how staff equate (or fail to equate) purpose and strategic goals and an ideology is enlightening.

4. Normalize evolving opinions.
Most people will learn. They grow. We shift.
Value openness and exploration. Great teams give people reasonable room to experiment - and celebrate it.
But there is a caveat to all this:

5. YOU DON’T HAVE TO ACCEPT OR ACCOMMODATE TOXIC PEOPLE AND THEIR BEHAVIOUR.
Yes, people have a right to their beliefs.
AND
Staff must own their words. There can be consequences for statements, attitudes and behaviours.

This is where it gets tricky for leaders.

When you stop dealing with people and have to deal with dogma - unchangeable, uncoachable, and unreachable... things become unworkable. It's toxic and consistently blocks adaptation, undermines trust, or refuses the truth born out by data. It isn't passive; it's corrosive.

Organizations are hard-pressed to take a stand, and it's hard, even unsafe, for leaders to talk to HR about the beliefs of staff. It is a minefield.

At the same time, doing nothing is not an option. Tolerating dogma in others is weak and will limit your team's performance, career prospects, and leadership brand.

As leaders, we’re not the arbiters of belief, we are the stewards of coherence and conviction.As always, I go back to Fluency. Understand yourself and your team, and you'll be able to lead, hire, develop and fire with logic, authenticity and empathy. Kindly. Clearly. Without hesitation or guilt.

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