#1. What is happening in Downtown Las Vegas is wonderful. Having the opportunity to be a the ground floor of building a new community is a once in a lifetime chance. And I am excited to be a part of this, since the first day I sat down the TheBeat coffeehouse and records (literally the first day they opened).
#2. That said, I truly believe that one of the most important ingredients for the healthy development of this downtown project (the business and the community) is more healthy dissent.
I am not suggesting that more naysayers should sit on the sidelines and complain.
I am suggesting that the entire local population should learn the art and craft of healthy dissent. We should all be asking the questions that nag us at the core. And, while not the point of this post, we should step up and become the change we want to see.
So, what are the first steps toward learning the craft of healthy dissent? Heffernan suggests beginning with these five guidelines:
- Appoint a devil’s advocate.
- Find allies.
- Listen for what is NOT being said.
- Imagine you cannot do what you all want to do.
- After a decision is made, declare a cooling off period.
What about you? Are you willing or interested in discussing ways (or define other tactics) to implement this framework in our city?
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