As the election season concludes, and we pivot into Thanksgiving; we take a moment of reflection and renewal. Additionally, workplaces face a unique inflection point. The story of Zohran Mamdani’s rise is more than local politics—it is a business signal that leaders and managers should take seriously.
Here’s why organizations are uneasy, how you as a professional can help them lean in and assist your business in adapting.
When a new leader is elected it can signal both fear about change and possibility for young people, diverse cultures and those that feel disenfranchised in NYC and around the country. I share the concerns of many business leaders about the implications for their bottom line and the adjustments required within their workplaces.
Before you tell your staff to pack up for greener pastures, hold off and think about how this can improve corporate culture and help our employees. Is there a way to consider segments of your workforce that feel left out, excluded and not heard? If you are a company with young employees, consider your employees over 50 who may feel their ideas are “too old or retro” to be heard and implemented.
Here are some considerations:
Psychological Safety and Inclusion: How can your company make sure everyone is heard and that all ideas are aligning with culture and operations? If you are an HR professional or manager you may hear a suggestion that does sound not in line with the company strategy-however, you can stay curious and explore the reasoning behind it.
Anxiety and Change: Leadership may feel threatened or question their role in the company. What does this new era mean for my role if we empower segments of the workforce whose voices are often not heard? If we focus on them, does it leave others out?
New Expectations and Norms: How does your organization rank with “corporate greed?” Are you most concerned about bottom line versus talent management and retaining good employees? How do you convey to your employees that there will be more effort to align culture and operations.
Rapid Change and Momentum: Many cities, governments and companies join the “change and excitement,” but moving to day-to-day work and operations can be slow. What are you doing to make sure you consider and ride the tide but take the time to implement new practices. Many businesses mean well, but after a few weeks, lose momentum and get caught up in the old ways of working, especially with the holiday season approaching.
Implementation: You can hold workshops, training by EAP managers, focus groups or quarterly meetings with results from talking to employees or conducting a survey. How do we let go of old habits and norms? How do you allow those that aren’t represented in the company to feel listened to with a goal of making change? How do you keep some of the business culture to avoid leaving those out who created it and lean into this new energy?
Communicating Updates: Will you have quarterly meetings to discuss and decide what is working and how the suggestions have been implemented? What will remain the same to honor those long-term employees? Are there fun activities or tool kits that can be created?
In conclusion, we survived another election and we’re in the season of Thanksgiving. Will you make a strategic leadership and cultural change to help employees feel engaged? Being open-minded connects people, builds trust, and opens doors to new ideas. Use the new-leader moment as a mirror: if new voters moved the needle in a city, new employees could move the needle in your organization.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kay Gimmestad, LCSW-C is a business coach and clinician in New York City with 20 years of experience working in the profit and not for profit sectors of Human Resources, Health and Human Services. She has built a reputation for being highly skilled in facilitating behavior change while working with employees, both individually and in groups, on matters relating to performance management, substance abuse, crisis intervention, and stress/wellness.
Here’s why organizations are uneasy, how you as a professional can help them lean in and assist your business in adapting.
When a new leader is elected it can signal both fear about change and possibility for young people, diverse cultures and those that feel disenfranchised in NYC and around the country. I share the concerns of many business leaders about the implications for their bottom line and the adjustments required within their workplaces.
Before you tell your staff to pack up for greener pastures, hold off and think about how this can improve corporate culture and help our employees. Is there a way to consider segments of your workforce that feel left out, excluded and not heard? If you are a company with young employees, consider your employees over 50 who may feel their ideas are “too old or retro” to be heard and implemented.
Here are some considerations:
Psychological Safety and Inclusion: How can your company make sure everyone is heard and that all ideas are aligning with culture and operations? If you are an HR professional or manager you may hear a suggestion that does sound not in line with the company strategy-however, you can stay curious and explore the reasoning behind it.
Anxiety and Change: Leadership may feel threatened or question their role in the company. What does this new era mean for my role if we empower segments of the workforce whose voices are often not heard? If we focus on them, does it leave others out?
New Expectations and Norms: How does your organization rank with “corporate greed?” Are you most concerned about bottom line versus talent management and retaining good employees? How do you convey to your employees that there will be more effort to align culture and operations.
Rapid Change and Momentum: Many cities, governments and companies join the “change and excitement,” but moving to day-to-day work and operations can be slow. What are you doing to make sure you consider and ride the tide but take the time to implement new practices. Many businesses mean well, but after a few weeks, lose momentum and get caught up in the old ways of working, especially with the holiday season approaching.
Implementation: You can hold workshops, training by EAP managers, focus groups or quarterly meetings with results from talking to employees or conducting a survey. How do we let go of old habits and norms? How do you allow those that aren’t represented in the company to feel listened to with a goal of making change? How do you keep some of the business culture to avoid leaving those out who created it and lean into this new energy?
Communicating Updates: Will you have quarterly meetings to discuss and decide what is working and how the suggestions have been implemented? What will remain the same to honor those long-term employees? Are there fun activities or tool kits that can be created?
In conclusion, we survived another election and we’re in the season of Thanksgiving. Will you make a strategic leadership and cultural change to help employees feel engaged? Being open-minded connects people, builds trust, and opens doors to new ideas. Use the new-leader moment as a mirror: if new voters moved the needle in a city, new employees could move the needle in your organization.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kay Gimmestad, LCSW-C is a business coach and clinician in New York City with 20 years of experience working in the profit and not for profit sectors of Human Resources, Health and Human Services. She has built a reputation for being highly skilled in facilitating behavior change while working with employees, both individually and in groups, on matters relating to performance management, substance abuse, crisis intervention, and stress/wellness.
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