[October 1, 2024] Now that Halloween is coming shortly and with an election coming up, it would be appropriate to take on the frightening topic of politics influencing organizations. A question often asked is whether leaders allow politics to influence their organization’s mission and values.
It’s a question often addressed at the most senior levels in nearly every organization. Those answers rarely concur but most do agree that it is best to avoid politics and not let it subvert their organization.
“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” – Napoléon Bonaparte, French statesman and military leader
The reasons that smart leaders avoid openly discussing politics are many. In business, it may cost you money and the goodwill of customers. Leaders who have allowed politics to influence their organizations have seen the loss of not just their profits but also their credibility. Some recent examples include the controversies at Bud Light, Harley Davidson Motorcycle, Disney, Coke-Cola, and Amazon.
“Go woke, go broke.” – current political catchphrase
When people see politics influencing an organization, there is the belief that those in senior leadership positions are self-serving, immature, undisciplined, or in some ideological echo chamber that leads to perverse decisions. In other words, any organization that would allow itself to be colored by politics may be doing the same elsewhere, unseen, and thus are undeserving of the trust and confidence necessary to accomplish its mission and uphold its values.
Politics can be both divisive and destructive. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was, “Never discuss politics at work.” But it goes beyond any one individual. In the U.S. military, like most Western militaries, politics has been historically pushed aside to ensure greater professionalism in the leadership corps. Politics were long ago rejected by senior military personnel because they learned the hard way that promotions should only be based on merit.
“In our age, there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.” – George Orwell, English novelist, journalist, and critic
Some have argued that some companies cannot avoid being pulled into the political arena; see also efforts at General Motors, Nestle, and Uber Technologies Inc. which have been targeted for boycotts from both sides of the political spectrum. One public relations person said that people will call you out if you speak up or if you don’t speak up.
Many risks require the sturdy hand of a seasoned, intelligent senior leader to navigate those choppy waters. The advice should be clear: it is better for everyone concerned for leaders to avoid mixing politics with their organizations.
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Please read my books:
“Corporate Bias Runs Deeper Than You Think” by Isaac Willour
https://americanmind.org/salvo/corporate-bias-runs-deeper-than-you-think/
Even the US military has become politicized and that is bad for readiness. We will be crushed if any adversary even from Podunk Africa attacked us. Our pink underwear, diversity hire SECDEF Lloyd Austin III is so weak even my 6 year old can see it.
Harley-Davidson became the latest major brand to face backlash over its DEI policies with a conservative online influencer calling for a boycott of the iconic motorcycle maker. Robby Starbuck, who has more than half a million followers on X, accused the Wisconsin-based company of having “gone totally woke” by hosting an LGBTQ+ boot camp at its offices, sponsoring Pride events and subjecting white employees to DEI indoctrination. Last week, Starbuck, a former GOP candidate for a congressional seat in Tennessee, organized an online campaign that forced John Deere and Tractor Supply to walk back its DEI initiatives, including eliminating Pride parades and festivals.
The HD dealer in my town just closed.
Yep, such a great story to see these political leftists running companies go broke. Makes my heart feel wonderful. Sad for their employees. But there is an obvious lesson here that Gen. Satterfield made clear.
👍 “Go woke, go broke.” – current political catchphrase 👍
Just imagine being a senior company CEO or President and allowing partisan politics into your business to infect your employees and management. Gen. Satterfield gave examples in this article but there are many more. That is why boycotts will hurt when the partisan politics is so divisive like Joe Biden has allowed it to happen here in America. Now we have more companies being stupid.
…. and speaking of organizational stupidity — I know you know I’m writing about the US Secret Service — here is a new development. “Secret Service Faces Lawsuit Over DEI Criteria”
https://amgreatness.com/2024/09/30/secret-service-faces-lawsuit-over-dei-criteria/
He He He He He – that’s me laughing at the USSS, not telling about my pronouns! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Welcome to my website, Vinny.
Anissa Zappala @anissa_zappala Sep 28
@primantibros refused to let @JDVance in to their restaurant full of customers waiting to greet him. They all paid for their drinks, cancelled their food orders and left after hearing that VP candidate was not welcome. Here was his response #Trump2024Vance #RepublicanParty #GOP
— from X
Another dumb liberal restaurant that doesn’t value their customers and will lose many customers in the future. Dumb is Dumb.
Yep, that is how Democrats operate … on emotion. Just like the media, they operate their lives on emotion. See:
https://dailycaller.com/2024/09/28/jd-vance-barred-greet-supporters-primanti-bros-employee-pennsylvania/
Yeah, how stupid can you get. The very restaurant that kicked Sarah Hucklebee out their establishment went bankrupt. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sarah-sanders-heckled-by-red-hen-owner-even-after-leaving-mike-huckabee-says