2024 U.S Election - How Human Behaviour in Politics Mirrors Human Behaviour in Business

Article 2 of 5

Culture is the foundation of every organization's success or failure. A single ineffective leader can quickly undo years of progress. Consider how Enron’s unethical practices wiped out over $60 billion in market value or how Boeing’s internal decisions, aimed at boosting profitability, led to two tragic crashes and billions in losses. Similarly, questionable behaviours by Democratic Party leaders have eroded public confidence in the party’s leadership.

Bad News Spreads: While these examples may seem irrelevant to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the reality remains: Poor cultural practices affect people, and people are your customers, the lifeblood of your business. As the saying goes, a bad review spreads ten times faster than a good one, and the damage to trust and reputation can take years to repair.

Leaders Set The Tone for their organizations, establishing precedents for what is tolerated and accepted and the boundaries that define the culture. I once worked with a professional services manager who, rather than training staff to address the root cause of customer needs, told the team, “You are the experts, not the customers.” Unsurprisingly, many key customers were dissatisfied.

The Actions of Leaders—what they tolerate and how they respond to events—provide valuable insights for customers, stakeholders, and employees. Actions that contradict a leader’s message result in a loss of trust. Conversely, delivering a clear and direct message, even when contentious, earns respect and trust over time.

Take the example of Kamala Harris’ campaign. A common concern was the disconnect between her message and actions. Despite many people’s desire to support her, they struggled to reconcile her words with her actions. Post-election, Harris’ immediate and continued responses have remained under constant scrutiny. More and more Political Pundits are concluding that she has lost public confidence, appears disconnected from the people she aims to lead, and faces significant career challenges. In contrast, confidence in Donald Trump’s leadership and vision for a prosperous America has risen significantly.

Leadership Lessons: The Impact of Actions on Perceptions

We've all encountered leaders whose initial charm and quick decisions inspired confidence, only to leave us questioning their judgment and intentions soon after. This type of behaviour can sometimes hide a lack of true leadership ability. Flip-flopping in their decision-making—marked by frequent shifts in priorities, unclear guidance, or mixed messages—can signal gaps in strategic clarity. These patterns not only create confusion for teams and stakeholders but also erode trust and hinder effectiveness.

Strategies designed to win over people fall short if they lack substance—sound information and solid insights must underpin decisions and actions. True success comes from actions grounded in evidence and understanding, leading to stronger team alignment and consistent customer satisfaction.

Post-Election Observations: Key Behaviours and Lessons

Harris Supporters: Navigating Discontent and Adaptability

The reactions from Harris supporters highlight various coping mechanisms and strategic choices following a political loss:

1. Public Outcry and Self-Defeating Actions:?A noticeable fraction of Harris supporters dominated the response by expressing frustration on social media, engaging in performative acts, and behaving in ways that puzzled political observers. These actions likely reinforced the defectors’ decisions to support the other party.
2. Vocal Rebellion:?A smaller group actively leveraged their influence to oppose the new administration, taking a firm stance against Trump’s policies.
3. Quiet Acceptance:?Many previously vocal supporters have gone silent, while others have accepted defeat as a necessary step toward future opportunities.
4. Shifting Public Stances:?Some supporters are recalibrating their positions to adapt to the new political reality, seeking to maintain credibility while aligning with current circumstances.

Business Lesson:

Leaders and organizations can learn from these varied responses. If left unaddressed, emotional reactions—whether in victory or defeat—impede progress. Leaders are expected to adjust positions based on new information, but erratic shifts without evidence signal mental discord, eroding confidence. Managing by objectives is the safest strategy to avoid this. By anchoring decisions in strategic objectives, leaders minimize errors driven by emotion.

Trump Supporters: The Drive for Action and Immediate Results

Trump’s immediate actions, such as appointing leaders to address key campaign issues, were perceived as decisive and results-oriented. Post-election, Trump’s team and supporters exhibited a mixture of triumph, ambition, and eagerness to implement their agenda:

1. Historic Team:?Many surrounding Trump are strategically positioning themselves for key roles in his administration, eager to contribute to a historic presidency.
2. Triumphant Enthusiasm:?Supporters openly celebrated their confidence in Trump’s ability to deliver prosperity.
3. Agenda-Driven:?This faction is highly motivated to push forward with their vision and implement their priorities.
4. Impatience:?Some supporters are likely to expect immediate results, showing little tolerance for delays. This impatience could create challenges if expectations exceed timelines or strategic planning.
5. Long-Term Perspective:?Looking ahead, it is expected that others will recognize that significant transformation takes time, demonstrating patience as goals transition from ideas to tangible outcomes.

Business Lesson:

Leaders must identify and address varying perspectives within their organizations or stakeholder groups. Clear communication, realistic milestones, and patience-building strategies are essential for maintaining alignment and momentum.

Bridging Emotional Responses with Strategic Adaptability

Managing the emotional responses of groups in SMBs—whether within teams, among clients, or across stakeholder networks—requires emotional intelligence and strategic foresight. SMB leaders can build resilient, adaptable teams by understanding the diverse behavioural patterns of their employees and customers, addressing frustrations like delays or miscommunication, and ensuring consistent, transparent communication.

Business leaders navigating market shifts or organizational changes must identify patterns of behaviour, expectations, and frustrations among their teams, clients, or stakeholders. Setting procedures and practices that are emotionally aligned with their business values and leverage strategic objectives to ensure clarity, unity, and long-term success.

At NM Corporate Strategy Inc., we aim to equip determined leaders with tools to identify fallacies, avoid common mistakes, and leverage strategic objectives to harmonize business operations. By aligning actions with your business vision, we solve brand, people, and culture challenges cost-effectively and practically, saving time and reducing disruption.

With discipline and a clear strategic path, you’ll foster collaboration and transform challenges into opportunities, driving growth in an ever-evolving landscape.

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