Karthik Ramanna: The Age of Outrage

Karthik Ramanna is a professor of business and public policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, where he has served as director of one of the world’s most diverse leadership programs. Previously a professor at Harvard Business School, he studies how organizations and leaders build trust with stakeholders. He is the author of The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World.

In a lot of ways, leadership is better than it was a generation ago. One way that it isn’t better? Figuring out how to lead effectively in an increasingly polarized world. In this conversation, Karthik and I explore what leaders can do to turn down the temperature on outrage.

Key Points

• We tend to frame effective leadership as heroic. In times of outrage, the virtue of temperance becomes essential.


• A leader will never fully address the demands made of them, regardless of how well they act.


• Even when a leader resolves problems, they will be viewed as part of the problem.


• Anticipate times of outrage and create spaces that calm people physically and help them connect with each other.


• Establish rules of engagement outside moments of outrage so that you have a starting point.


• Create pre-arranged workgroups that can help illuminate a path forward for the larger organization.

Resources Mentioned

• The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World by Karthik Ramanna

Interview Notes

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