It was an unsatifying election for many. Certainly for those who lost, and for those who supported candidates who lost. But also for many of the people who voted against those candidates.
Sure, it feels good initially to "throw the bums out". But then you have to deal with what's next. Many people are not satisfied with where we are. Unfortunately, it's not clear where we're going over the next couple of years. My own greatest fear is that government will gridlock and nothing will change for the better. Then we'll have to "throw the bums out" all over again. We all want to be able to vote for someone and not just against someone.
Vote for, not against, people in your organization.
When things aren't going well in your organization, there's often a rush to find someone to blame and fire them. Don't get me wrong, not moving fast enough on people is the #1 regret of experienced successful leaders. I'm in favor of moving fast on people. But, as my partner Rob Gregory says, you can't fire someone until you know who is going to do their work. This indicates a need to start the change process by hiring great people and letting them crowd out the poor performers instead of throwing the bums out and hoping whomever takes their place does better.
Bottom line, plan for a brighter future instead of merely reacting against a dark present.
