In many of our democracies, politics has turned into a bad word. It often brings to mind corruption, empty discussions, and a top-down way of governing where listening takes a back seat to holding on to power. Constitutions might guarantee the rights of the people to vote and be fairly represented, with the legislative, executive, and judiciary keeping each other in check. Journalists, unions, and civil society groups add further pressure to keep things fair.

Polls are run, petitions can be registered, and signatures collected. Yet the questions in polls often reflect the interests of those who pay for them, and many petitions never reach the decision-makers. So what happens when society grows tired of politics? When the people are not heard, either because they no longer speak up or because other interests matter more than what they are saying?

When this happens, the situation can turn unstable. Everyone digs into their position. Dialogue becomes a fight. Different groups may call for a reset, but a reset rarely comes without a cost. It can break years of stability and send us backwards until enough balance is restored for the majority to be satisfied again. In these times, it is often the elite that loses the most.

Listening for what is not said

To avoid reaching that point, we need to recognise what people are saying and, more importantly, what they are not saying. We need to look for the root causes of the illness in our society. That takes courage, because it means deconstructing our own system thinking, peeling away bias left behind by past policies, and going back to the culture that makes us part of the same community.

Some issues must be resolved locally; others need regional or even global cooperation. Climate change shows this clearly. Local action can manage water resources, but cutting the use of fossil fuels is a global matter because their effects spread into the atmosphere far beyond where they are burned.

Lessons from organisations

We can compare this to a merchant organisation. The governing body sets the direction, but should not decide every single detail for every local branch. HR, or “People and organisation” as it is increasingly called, must adapt to local laws and cultures that no single company culture can fully replace. Setting the same KPI for every branch is unrealistic. A local approach is essential, guided by the organisation’s wider vision but shaped to fit local realities.

Sometimes a global decision is necessary for the survival of the whole, even if it hurts one part. Think of a body with a necrotic limb: it has to be cut off to save the rest. But the goal should be to act early, treat the wound, and avoid losing the limb at all. Once gone, the ability it provided is not easily recovered, and the cost, both physical and psychological, is high.

Lessons from nature

Nature itself offers parallels. The planets pull on each other through gravity, each influenced by their mass and composition. The atmosphere of Saturn may be shaped by other celestial bodies, but the winds on one side of the planet can still create chaos on the other. Local events can shake the entire system.

Politics works the same way. A society’s structure may seem fixed, but it is never unchangeable. Ignoring what is felt, even when it is not spoken, creates unrest. Power-seekers who fuel debates over shallow or made-up issues may rise for a time, but they rarely last. Without working on the deep causes, while respecting the culture of the whole, nothing truly improves.

Acting where you stand

Each of us can act. When individuals join together, their ability to be heard grows. We do not always need to think in terms of the global scale. Most of what shapes our daily lives happens locally. Trusting those around us and working with them to make necessary changes, while keeping in mind the wider impact, is what matters most.

And you, in your company, your community, or even your own body, from the most local to the most global area you control, how do you make your decisions? How do you balance the local and the global, and act early enough to keep the whole system healthy?