You May Have Heard About an Upcoming Election…?

Unless you have been in an actual or cyberspace protective bubble, you have heard more than you wanted about next week’s national and local elections. On the plus side, there seems to be more intense interest and civic discourse than I have seen in decades, which can reflect a vibrant and active democratic process. However, there also seems to be more conflict, polarization, entrenched viewpoints, and raw emotions than we have experienced in previous years.

The intent of this blog is not to make any political comments. Rather, the CMA Team wants to highlight some organizational and team implications of this political and attitudinal intensity that you may want to consider, and address, as leaders, managers and team members. The goal is to be prepared and plan ahead as events unfold next week. There are many unknowns about the timeline for knowing final results and how individuals and groups may respond to this information. There could be spillover into your work environment and impacts on organizational dynamics and productivity.

Some thoughts and recommendations:

Be Prepared

It may be helpful to acknowledge that your team members have a range of political beliefs and feelings, and you affirm their rights and energy as citizens. This is also a time to communicate that there are expectations in your company or organization about professional behavior, and thus, you also affirm your internal standards about respect for each other, keeping professional boundaries, and handling any disagreements or conflicts in an appropriate manner. You may want to clarify, and highlight, expectations about workplace behavior that you have always had but that need to be under the spotlight right now. It is better to address and communicate these now rather than wait to see what happens next week. Put on your planning hat and anticipate any particular departments or teams where political interests and tensions may run high, and consider how to help them address these and how to help them cope with possible disappointments, anger, and resentments. Remember, whatever the outcomes, there could be some immediate and lingering emotions that need to be addressed and managed, especially if these negatively impact working together and respecting differences.

Clarify Expectations

Emphasize assumptions, goals, and standards that may be implicit so you are explicit about these. Review and communicate any established guidelines on workplace behavior, conflict resolution, use of email, diversity and inclusion, and political emblems or campaigning. Clarify how employees are expected to treat one another even if they have differences of opinions or may be on opposite ends of the political spectrum. It may be helpful to remind team members of how they have risen to the occasion, and continue to demonstrate their resiliency and ability to work together, during the COVID pandemic. It may be necessary to remind team members what behavior is not accepted or tolerated in your work setting.

Clarify how employees are expected to treat one another.

Focus on Shared Goals and Objectives

This is a good time to remind employees of their common goals and objectives, what draws them together in the workplace, and highlight examples of how they have worked together despite different viewpoints, perspectives, and skill sets. You want to cite some particularly challenging projects, initiatives, or client issues that have been successfully addressed. This can also include re-communicating your value statements, guiding principles, and company goals and objectives.

Consult with Others

Use your internal and external resources to compare notes, share best practices, and tap into any expertise around conflict management, talking about difficult topics, and overcoming differences. Talk about your concerns and worries with your peers, and be honest if you feel some anxiety, dread, or just are really puzzled about what may happen and how to handle this. This can include talking with your mentor or supervisor, experts on your team, or using CMA consultants for some guidance, talking points, or tactics.

Please let us know if you have questions or if we can provide any input.