Every four years the U.S. elects a new President. The process isn’t simple, and it certainly isn’t short.
Because the process plays out in the news media, and because it requires leadership both to gain the job and do the job, you can learn a lot from the campaign this year, including:
Don’t Miss Opportunities to Communicate
Political candidates excel at finding opportunities to communicate their messages. They use communication to define themselves, showcase their platform and to mobilize support for their vision of the future.
Leaders need to do those same things. You also need to define your plan for your organization’s future, to communicate your message, to mobilize your team to support your goals, and more. Yet most leaders fall short when it comes to communicating. Consistently, employee surveys show that communication is less than adequate in their organizations, but not enough leaders try to become stronger communicators.
As a leader you must communicate more effectively, more consistently and more often.
Fine-Tune Your Core Message
The political candidates spend tremendous amounts of time crafting and crystallizing their key messages, philosophies and beliefs. The best (and, ultimately, most successful) candidates hone their message and stick to it for the long haul. They don’t flip flop or change their minds often.
Are your main messages clear and unwavering? Do people know the principles that guide you as a leader and the organization overall? Do you work hard to stay on message, rather than moving on to something new when you are tired of talking about the same initiative or project?
Just like candidates have a team of handlers, speechwriters and consultants advising them on how to improve their communication and delivery, make sure you are asking for and incorporating feedback from others to improve your own communication skills.
Admit Your Mistakes
Whether a past failure is raised by the media or their opponents, presidential candidates’ almost always have to respond to or justify their mistakes. Generally speaking, few candidates score well in that area. Each tries to deflect the questions, change the subject or deny the issue altogether. That approach breeds mistrust among voters.
As a leader, you must be willing to admit your mistakes. If you don’t, people won’t trust you, and your employees won’t be willing to fess up to their mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, and every mistake can teach you and employees a valuable lesson. Make it clear that mistakes are OK by admitting when you fail, and you will build employees’ trust in you.
Build a Strong Network
Candidates know they can’t win a nomination alone. They must gain endorsements, contributions, support, help and more from a wide range of people. That is why the best politicians are typically great networkers. To reach large goals, we need help and support from many people. All the candidates – even those who don’t win – know and act on that.
However, in many organizations, individual leaders become insular. They might have a network inside the organization, but seldom do they work hard to maintain and build their network, especially outside their function or organization. The best leaders know they need to cultivate a wide assortment of friends, colleagues, supporters and more.
If you have a strong network, consider how you can tap it to support the efforts of those you lead. Who do you know that might be a resource to your project team? Who might be able to help your star employee gain some new experiences? What opportunities can your network provide to you and your people? And what can you do for them in return?
Take a tip from the candidates. While you may never ask for a financial donation from your network, your network will still be critical to your success. Invest the time to build and nurture it.
Presidential politics isn’t business, but these very public events do offer you opportunities to learn and apply lessons that can benefit you and your organization.
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