Post-Election Lessons

With the presidential election over, it’s now time to bring a very divided country together and learn to work cooperatively for the greater good of all Americans. While we’re all probably relieved that the election is finally over, I’ve been thinking about what lessons the campaign process may offer to organizational leaders:

• Importance of Building Coalitions—The most successful leaders are able to build coalitions to gain a broad base of organizational support. They connect with a number of different constituencies including functional/specialty groups, members of the board, and rank and file employees. Successful leaders listen to the needs and expectations of these groups and, without pandering or making false promises, they demonstrate that these voices have been heard. Effective leaders are able to ‘reach across the aisle’ to work with people who may hold conflicting views and seek solutions that benefit the company overall. These leaders appreciate the hard work of all of their constituents and acknowledge their contributions regularly.
• Inclusivity—Effective leaders also reach out to folks that may be under-represented at the top of the organization to solicit ideas and solutions to business problems. They overcome personal biases and engage people with diverse perspectives. They understand the changing demographics in the U.S. of women, the Latino and African American communities, and the millenials, and how these groups impact their products, their markets, and their employee population.
• Authenticity—Successful leaders are authentic, i.e., their public face matches their private face. People see through leaders who do not behave consistently with their company’s core values or who may change their messages with each audience. Trust in senior management is critical for a productive organization as employees want to believe the words of their leaders. And for executives who understand the importance of communication, there are no throw-away comments. In order to win employees’ hearts and minds, leaders must have integrity. True loyalty cannot be bought.
• Data-Mining and Analysis—Nate Silver analyzed the polls of likely voters so skillfully that he accurately predicted the outcome of the U.S. electoral college. The successful campaigns used reliable, valid data to understand how to market their message and target specific audiences. While gut and instinct may be important, good leaders do not use data just to support their own point of view; rather, they mine the information to more accurately learn and understand their markets. They do not suffer from ‘analysis paralysis.’ They use the data to help make better business decisions.
• Future Vision—Successful leaders communicate a positive vision of the future even if the present reality is bleak. People want the truth, but they also want hope for a better tomorrow. Leaders who can communicate a clear, future vision of their company/organization can help employees work through their current problems and see how they can contribute to a brighter future.
• Surrogates & Spokespeople—Bill Clinton was an incredible asset for Barack Obama. As the “Secretary of Explainin’ Stuff,” he conveyed messages even better than Obama could himself. When trying to bring about organizational change, leaders need other managers to be aligned with a consistent message. Company managers cannot just pitch the party line or say, “I don’t understand why we’re doing this; I’m just following orders.” If there isn’t a consistent message and a network of skilled communicators, company-wide initiatives often fail to gain traction.
• Unexpected Events—The ‘October Surprise’ of Hurricane Sandy presented both a crisis and an opportunity. In any organization, unexpected events happen. When a crisis occurs, this is a critical time for leaders to be visible, demonstrate their concern for the people affected, and not point blame.

Of course, campaigning is only part of the leadership equation. Leaders also have to execute and deliver on promises that they make. While organizations are not democracies and company executives are not elected every four years, the lessons of leadership from our recent political process may be quite instructive.