Skip to main content
Doug Teschner

Doug Teschner

Leadership coach and president of Growing Leadership LLC; former Republican New Hampshire state legislator, Peace Corps country director (Ukraine, Guinea), and co-author of Beyond the Politics of Contempt.

Jan 27, 2026

28:24
I'm, I'm acknowledging, um, things that are not moral, whatever, you know, just listening to them, connecting with them, and then being able to share with them what you think, whether it's bridge building is important or some of the policies that the left feels the right needs to be educated on is so important.
28:50
Yeah, I'd add that, you know, I mean, contempt, I would say to a relative, you Is that where you want to be? Is that where you want to be? Is contempt? Is that who you want to be? And so we talk a lot about values and stepping back on our values.
29:06
We've got this system where I can treat people with kindness if they're us, but I treat people with contempt who are them.
29:17
But I think a big part of this is we really need to step back and look at the look what's driving this.
29:23
Look at the factors.
29:24
We spend some time in our book talking about the factors that are driving the polarization.
29:30
And, you know, a lot of it is social media algorithms and the conflict entrepreneurs.
32:29
Do you often hear that kind of pushback or skepticism from people as a blocker to absorbing these kinds of ideas?
28:53
I'm, I'm acknowledging, um, things that are not moral, whatever, you know, just listening to them, connecting with them, and then being able to share with them what you think, whether it's bridge building is important or some of the policies that the left feels the right needs to be educated on is so important.
29:19
Yeah, I'd add that, you know, I mean, contempt, I would say to a relative, you Is that where you want to be? Is that where you want to be? Is contempt? Is that who you want to be? And so we talk a lot about values and stepping back on our values.
29:35
We've got this system where I can treat people with kindness if they're us, but I treat people with contempt who are them.
29:46
But I think a big part of this is we really need to step back and look at the look what's driving this.
29:52
Look at the factors.
29:54
We spend some time in our book talking about the factors that are driving the polarization.
29:59
And, you know, a lot of it is social media algorithms and the conflict entrepreneurs.
32:59
Do you often hear that kind of pushback or skepticism from people as a blocker to absorbing these kinds of ideas?

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click “Accept All” to consent, or “Decline non-essential” to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.