A few years ago, I conducted a survey to understand the most frequent leadership mistakes that contribute to employee disengagement. Hundreds of global employee responses highlighted key trends, revealing what often causes leaders to lose their teams’ trust and motivation. While not exhaustive, these are the top warning signs identified.

At a time of extreme political polarization, heightened racial tensions, and cross-cultural conflicts in the United States (and beyond), how can we encourage Americans to build relationships with—or even just try to understand—people who have different backgrounds or views from their own? And how can scientific research help us chart a positive path forward for our multi-racial, multi-ethnic democracy?