The stage on which our clients and colleagues live their lives, on which communities gather together, and on which we conduct our business feels as crowded, noisy and, at times, contentious as it has ever been. The polarization of so many issues and the pressure from both sides to “win” have pushed people and organizations to yell louder and to be more absolute in their positions. “Always” and “never” signal strength and conviction, whereas the ideas of compromise and nuance indicate weakness.

We see this dogmatism in many of the issues that consume the investment news cycle: inflation and the measures needed to control it; the banking crisis and measures to mitigate future liquidity issues; the war in Ukraine and how best to support the sovereignty of its people; sustainable investing and the politicization of the practice; and working from home and how to maintain a connected culture, among so many others. Entrenchment on these issues is celebrated and amplified across the media and political landscape—anger and outrage are great ways to generate attention, clicks and money.

Our job as a firm and thus as colleagues is to resist these pressures. We must think practically, rationally and without bias when making decisions for, and on behalf of, our clients’ best interests—not based on any personal agenda. This takes practice, patience and humility—we need to make intentional efforts to listen. This is the foundation of what NOW has become for us, and the value it can provide for clients—a forum and outlet for us to challenge our convictions, to seek outside and diversifying perspectives, and to test the first principles we use in our decision-making.

We will continue to share our thoughts on these issues for clients through our NOW podcast, regional NOW conferences and in written publications. Just as importantly, we need to give our colleagues the right forums to talk about them—our morning meeting is one space that works particularly well.