How to be a thought leader during election week
Here's a secret about being an adult: Sometimes something serious will happen--and I'll look around for a responsible grownup…only to remember I'm the responsible grownup.
It's like a post I once read that shared that famous Mr. Rogers quote. The one that goes: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me: Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” The person annotating the quote reminded us: “That advice is for children. Adults need to be the helpers.”
And the same goes for thought leaders. What a privilege it is that people follow you. That they trust you. That they turn to you. That you can be a beacon for your community.
Some might scoff at this approach: Do we really need experts in food, and mindset, and HR, and marketing thinking about content for their communities when feeds will otherwise be flooded with election coverage?
Yes, we dang sure do.
We need our thought, business, and community leaders to encourage us to vote, because that should be the goal of democracy. And we need our thought, business, and community leaders to remember that half the country will be devastated tomorrow. And the only thing worse than being devastated would be watching every person I admire and classically turn to for advice evaporate, because they're not in politics. That wouldn't make it any better.
We need the voices we trust; more, not less, in times of stress and division and anticipatory anxiety.
So, what can you do?
Show Up for Your Community As the Leader They Know
Here's the good news: No one needs you to shapeshift into a political commentator.
You have a brand. You have an area of expertise. Lean in there.
Expert in self care? Tell people what to do if their nervous system is shot from election coverage.
Marketer? Outline what brands should steer--way the heck--clear of this week.
Human and voting rights advocate? Tell people what they can do: before, during, and after.
Yogi? Create a flow for releasing stress.
Company culture? Tell HR leaders what to be considering for their teams.
Food blogger? Share recipes--maybe they're for celebrating, maybe they're comfort food.
To the last point, you should know your community well enough to know how this election is landing for them. If not, create a poll. Ask your community how they're feeling. Do a “take what you need” poll where you offer people: election coverage, a break, a victory dance, a hug.
If none of this advice lands, here's one more piece. When I was at The Muse, my editor Jenni, wrote a piece after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. It was called Be Nice To Yourself Today, Your Work Can Wait. What I remember about that piece years later is how it resonated with readers.
If you have no idea what else to say, make your audience feel seen. When we know the people we learn and buy from experience the same emotions as we do, it builds trust; and implicitly, we're more likely to buy from those we already trust. So true, genuine, authenticity isn't going to lose you any ground. (Sure it might lose you some followers in the other political party, but if you need to share strong emotions about the results, I don't think you care if you lose people on the other side of the ideological spectrum. I think one of your brand values is sharing your vision for the world.)
