Why radical moderates build stronger boards

During the 2017 marriage equality debate, the board of the youth organisation I worked for at the time decided to stay silent on the issue, on the basis that “the organisation can’t vote.” In truth, it was fear, not realpolitik, that kept the organisation from speaking out in favour of equality: fear of controversy, fear of funding loss, fear of discomfort. That silence created dissonance and mistrust. Avoiding the mess only deepened the divide.

To be a radical moderate is not to sit on the fence or avoid hard questions or stay silent. It’s to hold steady in the centre while the noise pulls from every side. It’s to resist the comfort of certainty and instead wrestle with what’s complex.

That’s what social cohesion requires.

Social cohesion isn’t about everyone agreeing or getting along. It’s about people feeling connected, belonging, and willing to work together for something beyond personal gain. It asks us to keep engaging, even when it’s uncomfortable. It asks those of us with power to notice it, share it, and sometimes give some of it up.

As a community leader, I’ve learned that the most valuable thing I can do is not to speak louder, but to listen more deeply. Not to have all the answers, but to ask better questions. Listening with intention, to understand rather than to confirm, is at the heart of radical moderation.

Because being moderate, in this sense, doesn’t mean being neutral. It means being anchored. It’s choosing balance without becoming bland. It’s being open without being passive. It’s showing empathy without surrendering principle.

I once joined a not-for-profit board with someone I didn’t expect to like. We held very different views and values, and I worried that our disagreements would make collaboration impossible. But a few shared principles, fairness, respect, and honesty gave us common ground to work from. We still disagreed often, but we listened with curiosity rather than contempt. That made our decisions better, and our governance stronger.

This kind of leadership is what holds communities together. It’s the same principle as board solidarity: disagreement and dissent are part of the process, but once a collective decision is made, we move forward together. The debate is not the problem. Avoiding it is.

In times of polarisation, radical moderation asks us to keep showing up to talk. To stay at the table. To value empathy as much as conviction.

Social cohesion isn’t a project or an action plan. It’s a lifelong practice, one that calls for the courage to stay calm, curious and connected when it would be easier to turn away.

That’s also what it means to be a radical moderate. And it might just be what holds our communities together.

More information

Explore the Radical Moderate project