Freedom of Expression
Creating an environment where people are free to express themselves through speech or otherwise, in a civil respectful manner, is critical to intellectual debate, growth and understanding. This is as important in the world of business as it is in society at large, and I’ve always strived to create and support such environments in the workplace. I was therefore proud to see both of my alma maters, MIT and Cornell, issue strong public statements over the past few weeks regarding protection of freedom of expression and speech.
On Dec 21, 2022, MIT issued its Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom:
https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/sites/default/files/reports/20221221_MIT_Statement_on_Freedom_of_Expression_and_Academic_Freedom.pdf
The Faculty issued an elegant and extensive defense of their position. One of the key points made was “Free expression is a necessary, though not sufficient, condition of a diverse and inclusive community. We cannot have a truly free community of expression if some perspectives can be heard and others cannot. Learning from a diversity of viewpoints, and from the deliberation, debate, and dissent that accompany them, is an essential ingredient of academic excellence.”
In March 2023 a Cornell student drafted a resolution urging instructors to provide warnings on their syllabus about “traumatic content” that might be discussed in class, including sexual assault, self-harm and transphobic violence. The resolution was unanimously approved by the student assembly, but quickly vetoed by university president Martha E. Pollack when submitted for administration approval.
The rationale for Pollack’s veto was described in a New York Times article date April 13, 2023 (“Should College Come With Trigger Warnings? At Cornell, It’s a ‘Hard No.’”). “Our students are coming at this with good intentions,” Ms. Pollack said, “but I think it’s a critical part of higher education to learn how to engage with challenging and difficult ideas. It teaches you to listen, compromise and advocate.” I strongly agree.
Pollack continues “Life happens to you while you are driving, while you are walking, while you are in the supermarket,” she said. “The most challenging moments in life rarely come with warning.”
So true. To be prepared to run a business a CEO must be ready to address the most challenging issues, in the moment, even if they had never been anticipated.