#288: If you were running for CEO, what would you campaign on?
We can learn a lot by watching a political race, how can you apply those lessons to your career path or running for a position within the company?
We often hear during the political season that we are electing our leaders. So let’s take that assumption and apply it to our businesses. If you could run for the office of CEO or any executive position, how would you do that?
What would your platform be?
In times of uncertainty, will you be a more progressive or conservative leader? Maybe not in the political sense, but in the business sense. Progressive could mean more spending on R&D, less concern about today’s market prices and earnings, and looking to put a foothold into the future. Conservative could mean austerity programs, early retirement, looking at efficiency, and bottom-line improvements.
In short, what vision do you have for the company? What do you want it to look like, and what time frame do you need for it to happen?
How would you communicate your platform?
It’s essential that whatever you hang your hat on during the election process, your team must hear it from you. So how are you planning on communicating? If you were running a campaign, would you use digital media? Would you sit down at the lunch table with your team, sharing ideas with a pizza? Maybe you would host a barbeque and invite whoever can make it each week during the summer.
I know that a trip to my mailbox during the political season has me wading through stacks of postcards, newsletters from the capitol, and other forms of print media. What can you learn from this? Should you be sending personal postcards to your team throughout the season? Maybe a weekly newsletter in their email? Or a quarterly magazine that is hand-delivered to them?
Every politician has a slogan, from “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” to “It’s Morning in America Again.” What would your motto be? It must represent the shared values that drive you and the team while showing what to expect. “Just Do It” (Nike) and “A diamond is forever” (DeBeer’s) are simple but powerful vision statements. What is yours?
Where is your ground game?
In politics, people go door to door for candidates. As we walk through summer festivals, campaign workers stand in hot tents, passing out flyers. In the days leading up to the election, thousands of people are making phone calls, giving us one more reason to vote for their candidate. They are evangelists for the politicians.
Where are your evangelists? What team members believe in your vision and are the first to communicate to new employees and team members on your behalf? In the mid-1980s, I worked on contract for EDS, Ross Perot’s company. From the 1st day I showed up until the last, there was a constant reminder about how Ross would do it or how the team was only better because of Ross. The man had created a following, and when he set what I believe to be an unreasonable goal for the quarter, the team bought into it and made it happen.
You develop that ground game by having that vision and living by the values you demand from everyone else. Do you have a ground game?
Are you running for reelection or a new position?
We see a different strategy depending on the type of election this is. In reelection, point to your successes and how you lived up to your promises in your platform. You will highlight how your values have been implemented and shine throughout the organization. And you promise to continue while improving and expanding in other areas of interest.
While running to replace an outgoing leader, you have to be careful about how you communicate. Regardless of their overall performance, they will have followers that you want on your side. Showcasing the strengths of that previous leader and how you would continue to reinforce them is part of your strategy. However, as your values will be your own, you need to again point to your platform and explain why it is crucial to the team to adapt these new ideas - or at least give them a chance. WIIFM - What’s in it for me (or them) is vital for the team to hear. You need to attach your vision to their why.
Now ask an important question
As a business leader, aren’t you always campaigning? Shouldn’t you always be in campaign mode? Isn’t it wise to be practicing what you preach, espousing your successes, pointing out where you need to improve?
As a leader of an organization, whether you are trying to become the next Accounting Manager or COO, you are running a continuous campaign. We don’t just do this every other year or every four years. Our team needs to hear from us all the time. Every time you run into a team member, your goal is to maintain their support. You need their vote every day, not just the 1st Tuesday following the 1st Monday in November.
When you are engaged, your team will be. Every day they go to work, they have a choice to make. Did you give them a reason to give it their all or to slack off?
Your career path is a campaign. The campaign is to build a team that will follow you, believes in your values, and helps you by being an evangelist. You don’t turn it on and off. It is always campaign season for your business.
Yes, this is hard work, but no one said it would be easy. Leaders aren’t elected, leadership is earned. By working hard today, it will improve your tomorrow! If you are having a difficult time coming up with a campaign strategy, connect with the Kole Performance Group. We have made it easier for you by setting up an open calendar so you can easily find a convenient time! CLICK HERE for the calendar.
Experience Vistage - Coming in February
Look for more information on an upcoming “Experience Vistage Event” targeted for the end of February. We will be offering a complimentary simulated meeting day for you to experience what it is like to be a Vistage Member!
More information will be shared in this blog over the next few weeks. And of course you can always set up a 15-20 minute meeting to learn more by CLICKING HERE