At the time of writing, it’s just over a month until Election Day here in the US. Wherever you are in the world, I wonder how you feel when you think about that. Apprehensive? Hopeful? Determined? A lot of work goes into Election Day – from poll workers to candidates, from the town level to the national stage. “Make a plan to vote” is a common phrase here in the US, and many companies moved towards making Election Day a company holiday before mail-in voting and early voting became more accepted. But if you’re a manager, planning for the day after might just be equally important.
In 2016, my workplace had hired a waffle truck as a morning treat the day after Election Day. In heavily-liberal Cambridge, MA, the line-up that morning was quiet like a funeral – people were in shock, staring off into the distance and occasionally shaking their heads. This was on my mind a few hours ago during a planning call for a two-day program taking place on November 6 and 7 – the two days immediately following Election Day this year. This is corporate program for managers and associates flying in from around the country. The program begins at 8am.
In planning with the client, my fellow facilitators and I were acutely aware that we may not have definitive election results before the program begins – and perhaps not even when the program ends. Even if we do, people in the group may feel very differently about the results. Regardless of results, chances are high that everyone will have stayed up way too late watching the news, and won’t necessarily be coming in fresh-faced and ready to go.
The call, which was scheduled for one hour, became two hours, and easily could have kept going for longer, with many open questions as we closed. But with the twin goals of stronger communication and building effective teams, we realized early on that we need to build the program using a focus on our shared humanity.
“Ubuntu,” as I’ve written about before, is a Bantu term and philosophy from Nguni culture in Southern Africa, often translated to “I am because we are” or “humanity towards others.” Ubuntu activities tie nicely into the idea of Unique Diversity and Diverse Unity, and are a great example of “connection before content” – focusing on strengthening people’s relationships, which is key before facing challenges or difficult topics. In this case this is key in helping people to feel safe and grounded in a potentially raw emotional state. Spending time connecting with each other in meaningful (and relevant) ways can enable people to honor and respect each others’ differences while also finding things they have in common.
Not everyone can plan a retreat for the day after the election. But if you’re based in the US (or have a US-focus in your business), how might you plan for November 6 in a way that will support and honor your team?
This Week’s Tip:
Treat the “Day After Election Day” as a day unlike any other, and plan activities to treat it as a day of kindness to your team and your colleagues. Some ideas (you may come up with many others):
- Plan not to have usual 1:1 or group meetings.
- If you have the budget, plan to take your team out for lunch (or if your team is remote, plan to send everyone treats that they can all open that day).
- Focus on building personal connections, and helping others do the same.
- Regardless of if there’s a definitive outcome for the presidential election, everyone will be in some kind of liminal space – acknowledge that with words and actions, and listen to what comes up in that liminality.
- If nothing else, focus on being kind to each other, and support others in doing the same.
Of course, many of these tips would be great to implement anytime – if you do, great! – but plan to be especially intentional about the Day After Election Day this year.
Try these out this week, and let us know how it goes. We’d love to hear from you!
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