I Lead a Company. What Do I Say to Employees About the Presidential Election?
I’m the Portfolio Services Director at Kapor Capital. It’s my job to help 118 gap-closing tech companies in our portfolio succeed. That includes working alongside Dr. Freada Kapor Klein to help our companies succeed at building diverse teams and inclusive workplaces.
Yesterday morning — about 8 hours after Donald John Trump was announced the 45th President of the United States — I went into work, and the first thing I thought was:
How can I help our founders recognize that they may have employees and/or customers who feel frustrated, concerned, or vulnerable today?
…and how can I help our founders feel more equipped to navigate that frustration, concern, vulnerability?
**By no means all-encompassing or prescriptive,** here’s what I quickly shared with them:
- Examples of company-wide messages sent from company leaders to their employees and/or members
- Discussion prompts, activities, and resources (Source: The New York City branch of The Collective, TFA’s national alumni of color association).
To all the founders and company leaders out there, I know you may not always feel like you have the right words to say and that you may be afraid of “saying the wrong thing,” but…
One of the most important things you can do is to show empathy.
This can be done by not proceeding like “it’s just another day” or “business as usual,” but to acknowledge what’s happened, create a safe space for people to express themselves, and to let them know that what they’re experiencing matters to you. This is exactly what my boss did earlier this year, and it made all the difference.
Now, it’s your turn.
If you have ideas or resources that can help company leaders navigate the post-election aftermath, please post them in the comments section below. Thank you, and thank you for leading with inclusivity in mind.
