In business, as in dinner parties, it’s commonly accepted that if you want to have a pleasing time, you don’t talk politics.
We’re making a departure from that sound theory.
That’s because something strange is happening in the race to the White House that deserves attention in the business world. We are actually seeing examples of positive traits that leaders everywhere can adopt.
What I find most interesting in this unprecedented race is that all of the candidates are playing themselves. That’s right. You may not like their politics, but at least you know who your choices are.
So perhaps for the first time since in politics since the beginning of the TV era, the public is seeing several authentic candidates.
Typically, candidates morph their identities depending on the state they wake up in. Iowa? Hooray for Ethanol! Florida? Hooray for subsidies to build on flood plains! Arizona? Boo to amnesty for illegal immigrants! Michigan? Boo for globalization! California? Hooray for everything!
Not so this time.
When you have a true core, people are very forgiving. People will give you the benefit of the doubt as long as they think you’re not hiding something. Forget or abandon your core, and people smell it.
In addition to authenticity, here are a few more noteworthy leadership traits on display:
- Appropriate, non-threatening display of emotion that demonstrates your humanness. Hillary’s near tears when faced with a question that hit her in the heart, were one of the factors that may have extended her candidacy. Note, this was not a Howard Dean war-cry moment.
- Respect people enough to tell them the truth. While Michigan auto workers may not have liked McCain’s admission that some jobs were not coming back, the statement preceded his victory in several states and showed that you could count on him to tell you that you had spinach in your teeth.
- Admit you’re not perfect…and then focus on the future. What do you do when someone has penned two autobiographies airing all his dirty laundry and placing the blame with no one but himself as Obama has?
While there’s no guarantee the candidates won’t resort to less noble leadership behaviors as the tension mounts, it’s a sure bet that this election will inspire fewer allergic reactions than those of the past.
Brilliant.
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