If you live in the United States, you have to know it is Election Day. Direct mail, yard signs, neighborhood canvassers, radio and television ads and more – all add up to an important day in the life of a democracy.
This post isn’t about politics, and while I have often written about what we can learn from politicians as leaders, the lesson today is different.
The lesson today is something what we, as organization and community leaders, should not do.
I am struck by how much of the political campaigning is about who not to vote for, as opposed to who to vote for (and most importantly, why to vote for them.) I realize there are several reasons why the campaign ads focus the way they do. While some of these reasons are understandable, and some not, none of them apply to the leadership worlds we all live in.
As I have tried to be an informed voter over the last few weeks I have been struck by how hard it is to see where the leaders really do stand (except that they are opposed to their opponent, which should go without saying in most cases).
As a leader, please don’t fall into this trap.
As a leader focus on your vision, where you want to go and why.
Communicate about the future you see for your team, organization or community. Talk about what you believe in. Help people see why the vision you see is important. Help people see how they will benefit.
When we communicate these things consistently and with passion and focus, people will be attracted to us. When we communicate these things we will be truly leading. When we communicate like this we will earn the only votes we need, which is willing people choosing to follow us.
If you live in the U.S. please vote today. There will be many leadership lessons we can glean from our political leaders in the future, and hopefully at least some of them will be things to do, rather than things to avoid.
It is absolutely pouring down rain in Jackson, Mississippi, which is fantastic because we need the rain but it also will impact the voter turnout I am sure. It’s amazing that everyone will do all of their normal things (go to work, go out to lunch, run their errands, etc.) but they will say, “It’s raining. It’s too much of a hassle to go vote. Plus, it’s an off year election.” In addition to that, I agree with your comments about the campaign. It definitely is hard to determine what the candidates are really all about for the future when all they talk about is blaming the other person for what they have done in the past–regardless of what the circumstances may have been that surrounded their past action. I admit, there is so much blaming and lack of accountability that I can’t keep up with what is really going on! That makes it hard to chose where to cast my vote.
Thank you Kevin, for a wonderful reminder of being a great LEADer, which is NOT someone who puts others down to build themself up!
Kevin, I sincerely wish we could make nearly every politician in this country read your post! You are so right on the money. It would be truly refreshing to see a real leader with a vision and plan step up to the plate and rely on those strengths to win a campaign. This would demonstrate true leadership abilities, class and would actually be a service to voters. In the meantime, business leaders can also benefit from your advice. We need to be clear what makes our products, company or people shine. As this piece (http://www.upyourservice.com/learning-library/customer-service-innovation/how-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd) points out, good leadership can lead to customer (or voter) loyalty.