Make a New Year’s Resolution to Stick to Business During the Tumultuous Election Year Ahead
12/15/23 – – With every new year come challenges and opportunities. But looking ahead to 2024 through a crisis-prevention lens, I see one particularly dangerous threat to businesses on the horizon:
Politics.
The upcoming presidential election promises to be the most contentious and unpredictable in our lifetimes. As we get closer to November 5, hot-button, emotional issues will be brought to the surface along with intense pressure on corporate leaders to weigh in.
CEOs and their communications teams should get their game plans together now, before they break for the holidays.
Difficult Political Issues Will Take Center Stage
Most business leaders have plenty to do and responsibilities to meet without jumping into election-year debates regarding reproductive rights, border security and immigration reform, escalating urban crime, U.S. support of foreign wars, resurgence of terrorism, gender affirmation treatments, authoritarianism, freedom of speech, schools and parental control, and biological men competing in women’s sports (the Paris Summer Olympics should be interesting).
Yikes! (An old-fashioned word meaning OMG!)
As the presidential candidates duke it out, the spotlight will be on these and other uncomfortable, politicized issues. Deciding which ones, if any, merit or demand a CEO’s vocal involvement can be treacherous. Opine on any one of these, and your employees and external audiences will feel betrayed if you don’t take a stand on the causes most important to them.
Many PR gurus and business school professors are pressuring, actually shaming CEOs into speaking out. These pundits point to studies showing that employees, customers and communities want businesses to take public stands in alignment with their personal values and views. The problem is, not everybody has the same values and views. Today’s world is split pretty evenly between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans. Our toxic “you’re either with us or against us” environment leaves little common ground.
Make your feelings known about any important public issue — most of which have been politicized — and you’re likely to deeply offend half of your employees and customers.
So, what should your public affairs game plan be for 2024?
Empower Your Employees and Stick to Business
I believe the best New Year’s resolution for businesses is to get out of politics and return to the days when political issues were primarily the purview of politicians, elected officials, legislatures and voters.
That’s not surrendering any relevance or responsibility. Your employees (otherwise known as voters) have the power to participate in the political process (outside of the workplace), and that’s where your energy and encouragement should be directed. Consider giving extra time off during the year for employees to support causes and candidates of their choosing; and most importantly, vote. Make that a focus of your leadership, without picking sides.
Spend more time getting your own house in order and resist the urge to lecture the public. It’s enough of a challenge (and reward) to make sure you’re doing the right thing inside your company — including treating all your employees fairly, manufacturing safe, sustainable products that deliver value to all your customers, and contributing to the health and prosperity of the communities you serve.
Staying in your lane and sticking to business does not mean turning away from important societal issues or ditching your DEI/ESG commitments. There’s plenty to do within a company to make the world a better place. Know your customers and don’t be pushed by anybody into contentious public debates that have little or nothing to do with your products or services.
If You Must Engage, Pick Your Battles Carefully
For companies uncomfortable with getting out of politics cold turkey, I encourage them to determine their response to issue-engagement opportunities by answering these four questions:
- How relevant is the issue to the purpose, operations and performance of your business, and can you make a difference?
- How strongly do you and your key internal and external stakeholders feel about the issue and what’s your level of resolve to stay meaningfully involved even as the situation evolves?
- What rewards can your company expect from engagement?
- What repercussions may come your way from taking a stand or taking a pass?
Applying this analysis will help you stay out of trouble and make your efforts more constructive if you do choose to rumble. But the default position, especially during this election year, should be silence.
According to most public opinion surveys, people still trust business more than other institutions, including government, churches, academia and the media. When asked why, respondents point to the politicization of the other less-favored institutions in their lives. It makes no sense for businesses to follow the path of politicization and give up this important advantage.
A Final Word of Caution
Last week we witnessed the implosion of three college presidents’ careers and the reputations of their schools in front of a Congressional panel discussing the disruption on campus following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Corporate leaders and communicators should see this disastrous encounter as a cautionary tale. Here’s Washington Post columnist and CNN commentator Fareed Zakaria’s insightful takeaway:
“What we saw in the House hearing this week was the inevitable result of decades of the politicization of universities. America’s top colleges are no longer seen as bastions of excellence, but partisan outfits, which means they will keep getting buffeted by these political storms as they emerge.”
Zakaria called for academic institutions to, “abandon this long misadventure into politics, retrain their gaze on their core strengths, and rebuild their reputations as centers of research and learning.”
To avoid being “buffeted by political storms” in the tumultuous year ahead, businesses would be wise to follow Zakaria’s sage advice. Ring in 2024 by empowering your employees, staying out of politics and getting back to business. Don’t add to the drama of presidential politics. The PR gurus and business professors can find something else to write about in the new year.
Crisis Quotient Blog 