Healthy Dissent

#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:

  1. Appoint a devil’s advocate.
  2. Find allies.
  3. Listen for what is NOT being said.
  4. Imagine you cannot do what you all want to do.
  5. 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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3 responses to “Healthy Dissent”

  1. Clegg Avatar
    Clegg

    Are u working with Tony Hsieh? A revitalized DLV is a major task! It seems to have fallen so far.

    1. thomasknoll Avatar

      I would love to learn more about what you mean by “it seems to have fallen so far”? Do you mean the entire city? Or downtown? I would love to hear more about where it was before it ‘fell’ =)

  2. Cleggg Avatar
    Cleggg

    Thomas, I’ve been visiting downtown LV since I was a little kid, have seen it go from a primary destination in the 1960s to a ghost town relative to the strip in the 90’s-00’s. The construction of Fremont Experience, along with decent rooms for cheap, has kept the area on life-support, but take a walk 2 blocks in either direction and you’ll want a bodyguard. I’ve read that Tony has some amazing vision for the area, and is backing it up with investment. I wish you all the very best in your work.

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