Business Lessons Learned from the Political Circus

In my town, we recently went to the polls to decide whether or not to increase our property taxes. In the middle of a highly heated debate, and just two weeks before the election, the mayor chose to “slip” a 28 percent pay hike for himself into the budget (along with 12 percent increases for several department heads) even as supporters banged the drums of job lost, services cut and the loss of the town’s sterling reputation as a good place to live.

The reaction was swift and furious, blogs were abuzz and opponents had exactly what they needed to make the case about the mayor’s fiscal acumen.

To fight back, voices from the state house (read political cronies) spoke out that he deserved the raise for all he’d done. Again, the backlash
was palpable.

A week later, he announced he’d changed his mind about the raise. And announced – six months earlier than planned -- that he wouldn’t seek re-election.

It was too little, too late. The ballot question failed miserably. This kind of arrogance cuts trust from the relationship equation. If the mayor (or his PR team) had spent just a little time thinking about the reaction of the media and the faction opposing the tax increases, odds are very good that -- at the very least -- the timing would have been different.

Business leaders so often make the same mistake – relying too much on the inner circle and not integrating their audiences’ needs into decision making. There are so many options – choose a different path, scale back or adjust the timing. And even when you have to make a choice that runs counter to the needs of those who buy your products, partner with you or advocate on your behalf, it doesn’t take that much more effort to explain why and how you came to the decision.

- By Susan Bassett