Leading Through Political Chaos
Next week will be a monumental week in the history of the United States.
Regardless of who wins the election, our leadership will be needed.
We have an opportunity to be the calm within the storm, the rock amidst the waves.
Today I'm sharing:
Leading through external stress & chaos
Addressing political conflict in the workplace
Before we dive in, a final call for my leadership retreat for women. There will be no finer time to come together in community to grow, develop, and be proud for how we're showing up for ourselves, our work, and our communities. Register today, we kick off Wed, Nov. 6th. (Next retreat opportunity won't be until Fall 2025.)
Ok, where my head is at for leading in what will is be a stressful and chaotic time:
Self leadership
Foundational human needs
Prioritizing belief > worry
Self Leadership
You can not lead others without first leading yourself.
If you're at your rope's end, you have nothing left to offer others.
2 questions I'm asking myself:
What do I need to do in the coming days to keep myself centered?
How do I want to BE during this period of high stress?
What I'm committing to doing for myself:
Reducing my screen time
Listening to loud music and singing in the car
Getting to bed early to decompress with a great book
Who I'm committed to BEING:
Open
Calm
Curious
A safe space
What is going to ensure you've got enough gas in the tank over the coming weeks?
What ways of BEING will serve you and your people best? Write them down.
Foundational Human Needs
Each and every one of us has a basic, foundational need to feel seen and heard.
As leaders, we can do a lot to help people feel they are not just an employee, but a human who has thoughts, worries, joys, fears, and dreams.
Things I'm thinking about to help others feel seen and heard:
Pausing to really hear how people are doing
Listening between the lines for what's not being said
Consciously putting aside my own opinions
Prioritizing Belief > Worry
Every day we have a choice for where we put our energy.
We can put energy into worrying.
Or we can put energy into believing.
I was reminded of this while taking a Peloton hiking class this week.
My choice, especially right now, is consciously putting my energy into believing.
Believing in those around me.
Believing in the impact I can have.
Believing in the goodness of humans.
Believing everything will ultimately be ok.
You will exude the energy of your choice.
Make the choice that will serve you and help you be proud of how you show up when your people need you most.
Addressing Political Conflict In The Workplace
You and your team members will not all be voting for the same candidate. And conflict within the team is possible.
You must be prepared to intervene for the safety and well being of every single human in your charge.
Let me also be clear, this will take courage. (If it's helpful, I wrote about courageous leadership in September 2023, revisit it here.)
Lean into the values of your team and company. When you root yourself in what you, your team, and your organization hold most dear, it's much easier to interrupt and intervene to ensure the well being of every team member.
What I'm offering below are my own recommendations on what I would do. If you have worries about leading and managing potential political conflict over the next few weeks, please reach out to your leader and HR for more specific support.
Situation 1: Someone refuses to work or communicate with someone who voted differently than them.
My Recommendation: As Sami Unrau posted this week, “All feelings are welcome, all behaviors are not.” It is my expectation on every team I lead that we will care for one another, even when we disagree. All the feelings about someone voting differently, those feelings are valid, and poor, disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
Situation 2: Someone shows up with political gear (shirt, hat, sign, Zoom background etc) to celebrate their candidate's victory.
My Recommendation: Kindly, and respectfully, communicate that the gear doesn't have a place in the workplace. That your team is a place for all political beliefs to be welcome because what unites us here is our work, our mission, and our impact. And it doesn't matter what gear is being worn, no double standards. If it's gear for your candidate or not, it does not matter, be fair and be consistent.
Situation 3: Someone posts into a team Slack channel a derogatory comment about a candidate or their supporters.
My Recommendation: Reach out to that person directly and immediately. Everyone is entitled to feel their feelings, and the comment/post is not who we are as a team and organization. All are welcome, all team members are valued, and Slack will not be a place for rants or personal attacks, on either side of the debate and political aisle. I would also publicly comment to ensure everyone knows this is not the time, the place, nor is this our culture.
I would also make a plan to proactively up my volume of team connection and team building in coming weeks.
Feel free to steal these team building activities that are easy to leverage at the start of your next few team meetings.
Get people talking, get people connecting, get people back to seeing one another as what they are - humans.
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I'm rooting for you!
Please don't hesitate to reach out with any follow up thoughts or questions. That's what I'm here for!
