Communicating Thoughtfully During the Trump Presidency
We live in a time when a single sentence can go viral for all the wrong reasons. Whether you admire or oppose former President Trump, there’s no denying his presence has reshaped the landscape of public communication.
Conversations that used to simmer under the surface now boil over in boardrooms, breakrooms, and social media comment sections. People everywhere are angry and sometimes mean.
For many of the people I love best, we Americans now live in 1939 Germany. For others, we’re getting through the tricky part of restoring our national identity to make America great again. There is no middle ground. And as the rhetoric heats up, so does the risk to you and your brand.
First, you should know I’m pretty moderate (i.e., homeless). Today’s political environment has been challenging to navigate, given the loss of my beloved center, my growing realization that politics have somehow become more important than longstanding relationships, and the unfortunate reality that, for many of today’s underpaid reporters, the click is king.
So, what can I do? Should I give up and mourn the loss of the political center (and many of my deepest relationships)? Or must I pick a side and hold my nose?
The decisions I face are like those confronted by many major brands today. So, let’s work through the logic together and determine how to manage the relationships that matter most to all of us.
My first instinct is (I would argue) totally solid, proven by generations of wise grandmothers and etiquette experts. Here it is.
RULE NUMBER ONE: Do not discuss politics in mixed company.
Whether it’s me personally or a client I’m advising, I never recommend getting out in front on anything political. In most circumstances, you don’t win when you plant a stake in the ground, no matter how convinced you are of the rightness of your views.
If you make widgets, your first job is to talk about widgets. If you oppose a particular statutory change, you don’t bad-mouth the sponsor; you talk about the policy. AOC and Bernie Sanders mean nothing to you. Neither should Donald Trump or Elon Musk. You care about widgets and effective public policy.
This rule applies whether you’re speaking at a press conference or on a private phone call. You must never utter a word you wouldn’t be happy to read on the newspaper's front page tomorrow morning.
This also applies to those of us hanging around with a crazy uncle at Thanksgiving dinner. Let him embarrass himself; you stay calm, QUIET, and upbeat about the future.
RULE NUMBER TWO: It’s never as bad—or as good—as you think.
A wise man once advised me to think this way, and it’s helped me keep my perspective no matter what’s happening. If you are convinced that any political candidate is the way, the truth, and the life, think again. A good chunk of the globe disagrees with you. Don’t diminish your brand by living in an echo chamber of your own making.
Be bigger. Be wise. Be humble.
Imagine you *might* not have the corner on all the best ideas in today’s world and own it (!). Be willing not to know everything, and you’ll keep friends, family, and customers every step of the way.
Nine times out of 10, people don’t care what your company believes about politics. What they do care about is that you can make a good product, deliver services well, and not make life more complicated than it needs to be. If you’re wading into choppy political waters, you’re not delivering on your brand promise.
RULE NUMBER THREE: Listen more than you talk.
It’s a lost art, listening. Being graceful and thoughtful about what you’re hearing and responding in kind is the best thing we can do to foster healthy connections. Whether it’s your crazy neighbor or an angry customer, work to hear them well. Put yourself in their shoes and examine how your response can alleviate a difficult situation.
A response that hears the concern, accepts the challenge, and refuses to argue is better than just a good business exercise. It’s a step toward Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance in a world where political rhetoric is la violence du jour. Don’t lower yourself. Stay above the fray, and you’ll enhance your brand no matter with whom you speak.
After all, your brand succeeds when it makes the customer/client/member worry-free and confident in what you offer.
So, if you have a clerk at your hardware store who can’t resist a political comment, you’re in trouble. You're also in trouble if you’re on a client call and are goaded into agreeing with the far right or far left. You will lose if you take any side other than that of Emily Post, who advises that politics are not for public consumption.
If you take nothing else from me, take this question: what’s better, isolation or inclusion?
If you want your brand to be inclusive, be welcoming to everyone, no matter what they believe. If you want to isolate, take a stance on politics and wait to see what happens.
My guess is that you’ll do far better welcoming people to your table than setting up a scenario that scares half of them away.
And that, after all, is what brand management is all about.