#68: Clarity is Relational: Leadership in Complex Systems
In this episode of the Criterion Institute podcast, Joy Anderson begins with a provocation about clarity, questioning how calls for “being clear” often place responsibility on the speaker, rather than asking listeners to stay with complexity and do the work of understanding. The episode then shifts into a conversation with systems change leader Rachel Sinha, where the two explore communication as a relational and systemic practice. Together, they reflect on the role of relationships in systems change, the responsibilities of leadership in complex contexts, and the importance of imagination in making alternative futures possible. Throughout, the conversation emphasizes that transformation depends not on simplifying what is hard, but on cultivating connection, attention, and shared sense-making.
Episode Highlights
00:00 Questioning clarity and staying with complexity
02:56 A conversation with Rachel Sinha: communication as a relational practice
06:06 Leadership in systems change
08:59 Imagination as a catalyst for alternative futures
11:47 Creating space for meaningful conversation
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