How To Communicate Amid Political Crises

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this week has most of us thinking. Since our general confidence as a nation is reflected in our stock market, the 2% and 3% drop today in the Dow and Nasdaq respectively indicates that people are paying attention. The price of oil has been affected due to Russia’s role in its export. Although the proximity of the conflict is far away, the effect is global, as seen in the impact on the U.S. economy. As business leaders, it’s important that we both stay educated and set an example in our messaging.

Fear is a natural emotion, and it’s one of the first to make itself known when there’s uncertainty and unrest around the world. People connect with these types of events differently. Though life and business must go on, they should go on through a filter of sensitivity to the difficulties others are going through. Releasing promotions and trying to make the news this week could appear tone-deaf. It’s OK for us to be a bit reflective for a minute. Our business doesn’t need to be reactive — our confidence will best be shown in our ability to be an example of optimism and courage.?

The way leaders can combat the fear that can so easily settle into our collective nerves is by being intentional about our communications.

1. Acknowledge the issue. The goal here is not to try and help your organization and audience forget what’s going on around them. That is one strategy to deal with fear, but it’s probably not the one that the compassionate leader takes on.?
2. Keep to the facts. Look past sensational headlines and vet them before allowing them to manipulate your emotions.?
3. Don’t leverage the suffering of others. This is not the time to make a quick buck. It’s not the time to assess what business opportunities the news may be affording your company.?
4. Perpetuate courage. Paint a picture for others that you’d like to see in your team and your community. The pressure cooker of news and fear in the media perpetuates imbalanced reactions to the reality of what’s going on, but make an effort to keep a level head.?

Contemplate what it means to ignite a rebellion against the psychological warfare that takes place in the midst of a global crisis. Sometimes rebellions are quiet. Sometimes rebellions mean not getting caught up in the flurry. Sometimes they mean slowing down and intentionally maintaining business as usual instead of mindlessly maintaining business as usual.

Consider using your influence as a leader and executive as a power for good. The recent events in Ukraine are not something to be ignored. Rather, they call on us to be examples of how to lead our teams with information, courage, and confidence.?

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Tom Popomaronis?is Executive Vice President of Innovation at Massive Alliance, a global executive branding agency. Tom co-founded Massive's?Executive Leadership Branding?program – which transforms world-class executives into contributing authors at leading publications.

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