It’s the final sprint to November 5th – tomorrow marks 100 days to go before the start of the last big push.
For many, the election is ‘the’ event of the year – and as with every election cycle, sensitive, hot-button issues bubble to the surface, and stir up uncertainty about who will lead the nation or what policies and protections may change as a result.
But all this uncertainty is unnerving to staff!
In 2020 a Gartner study found 60% of employees felt distracted and less able to get their work done because of the 2020 US presidential election. This time round, things could be far more pronounced. With younger generations more politically engaged than other generations were at their age, employees may turn up the temperature on their leaders, expecting them to stand up and speak out in even bigger ways than before.
It means there’s a real priority for CHROs/executives to have a proper plan for how they will guide their teams through it.
Build trust before you need it
The trust teams place in executives can be heavily scrutinized, hard won, and easily lost this year.
In a study of more than 1,000 US employees, Axios HQ found that, on the whole, employees weren’t happy with how leaders were addressing social and political issues.
With the countdown to election day now in full swing, it is gaining employee trust that is the first step leaders must take before tackling political conversations.
The way leaders choose to act, or not to act, will have an amplified impact on the trust of employees this year.
So, here are some ways that leaders earn — and keep — employee confidence:
Check critical issues against organizational values
Not every organization needs to weigh in on every issue, but employees are more likely to push for action when issues overlap with key areas of your mission or vision. Identify them early.
Decide how you plan to discuss and connect what is going on in the world with the fundamental purpose of your organization and its people.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
The most confident communicators are experts in what they’re discussing. Knowing what you need to tackle is step one.
Then, research it intensely. Develop a list of questions for what you don’t yet understand — about the topic or how your people may feel about it. Tap experts or dig deeper in your own study to find the answers.
Develop or update your playbooks
The best playbooks are confident and genuine, and they are only possible with deep understanding and preparation.
Once you’re more deeply familiar with the issues you plan to address, codify your plan in who discusses them, when, and at what level of the organization. Work with executives and your communications function to build confidence and understanding in each plan
Check your words and tone
Both will impact employee trust in the organization.
Stay direct and straightforward, but never at the cost of being approachable, confident, and empathetic while you discuss tense topics.
Treat teams like the adults they are, but know kindness goes a long way.
Making processes people-first
The root of trust is transparency. To gain and protect employee trust, leaders must keep people informed at key steps of your communication or decision-making processes.
Keep conversations open — once you know what you plan to discuss at an org-level — and communications inclusive. If you have ERGs, consider talking with them about being focus groups for feedback on your approach. Transparency and openness will win.
Listen and apply feedback
Listening groups can be a helpful step for especially polarizing issues you plan to address.
Hear how issues are impacting employees. Not only will you get a better sense of their perspective — and how to navigate it productively — but you’ll also start to learn whether new resources might be helpful at work, too, if or when the world changes.
Own mistakes if you make them
No leader will ever be perfect, but the cost of being unprepared, overly brash, or non-inclusivity in moments that call for calm, confident leadership is really high — like lost revenue, brand damage, and fractured trust.
If you do say the wrong thing or just communicate less effectively than you’d hoped, the key is to acknowledge it and act quickly but thoughtfully.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve asked folks like Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary, and Bob Jimenez, the former SVP of corporate affairs for Cox Enterprises, how the best leaders handle “getting it wrong.”
Samplings of their advice include:
- Own it: Never lie or try to rewrite what happened. That will only dig the hole deeper. Stick to the truth.
- Correct it as quickly as possible: Don’t waste time. Move quickly, and preferably, have a plan in place.
- Don’t stop communicating: Don’t go radio silent because something went amiss. Address the issue.
- Learn from it: Don’t assume you’ll get it right the first time. You may not get your response right on the first try, or it may not take. Adapt as necessary.
The bottom line
These steps are foundational to building up the trust required ahead of leaders engaging on tough issues like the 2024 election.
Build trust before you need it.
Know when is the right time to speak, and when the issue is not for you.
Respect and acknowledge how much what’s happening can or will impact your people.
And move forward together.