Episode 06: Leading ‘On a Razor’s Edge’

A conversation with LGBTQ+ Rights Advocate Ian Palmquist

On this sixth episode of the On the Balcony podcast, Michael is joined by Ian Palmquist, Deputy Director at the Equality Federation and the Board President of the Adaptive Leadership Network.  In his experience of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights with government officials, Palmquist has become familiar with authority and its resources and constraints for the practice of leadership.  When advocating and legislating meet, Ian has discovered that it can be challenging to satiate one side’s appetite for change while assuaging the other’s fear of it.  

In Heifetz’s work, he famously refers to this dilemma as the razor’s edge.  Managing disparate expectations and goals can feel like wearing a straitjacket or walking on the cliff’s side, and finding that balance can be an exacting pursuit.  Elected officials often have to play the political power game and frequently at the expense of real progress.  That’s why, in Palmquist’s career, it’s been all the more important for him to maintain that delicate balance.  He does so by acquainting himself with the specific tools and constraints that accompany authority, and journeying together with legislators to work toward mutual success. Navigating that fine line isn’t easy, but Ian fully understands that the fight for equity demands and deserves it - and he’s more than willing to ‘cut his feet’ in the battle to achieve this noble goal.