After election night, the mediasphere began its postmortem on the Harris campaign. She should’ve done this. She didn’t do that. The same people that were proclaiming her efforts flawless right up til last Tuesday night, now doing Monday (Wednesday) morning quarterbacking at its worst. Let’s be clear. This doesn’t require marketing analysis. Given everything known about both candidates, you may have anticipated a different outcome. In hindsight, the answer isn't better data analysis and more effective messaging strategy.
The voters she needed didn’t show up. The count isn’t final, but thirteen million fewer voted for Harris than Biden four years ago, while her opponent only needed to hold and slightly improve on his previous campaign numbers…and he did. This is no overwhelming tidal change in, or a mandate from, the electorate. For all the energy and enthusiasm and success of the Harris campaign on the ground, her supporters didn’t show up to vote in the numbers needed to be successful.
Why did this happen? There are obvious inferences to be drawn about the bias against women in society. This is the second highly qualified female candidate in recent history to lose because of lackluster voter turnout. In high-stakes elections, not voting is equivalent to voting for the other side, and that’s what happened.
The “why” is bigger than this, though. Think back to when the COVID disruption started in March 2020, and we all hunkered down to survive. Isolation became the norm and living (not just working) remotely became our everyday reality. By the time the calls for masking and social distancing ended, the damage was done. As you read this, people are still working in social-emotional cocoons, overwhelmed and unable to keep up with everything from their communications to their commitments to their self-care.
Here's my personal experience over the past 4-going-on-5-years. How does it compare with yours?
Working with professionals, they routinely:
- miss work deadlines
- no-show for appointments
- respond to email (maybe) once a week
- start new projects but leave them unfinished
- neglect personal relationships, health and self-care out of exhaustion
They don’t show up, and if they do, they fall short in the follow up. Hey, I get it. People mean well. Times are tough. There’s nothing left in the tank. The reasons are less important than the reality that this is where we are.
And here’s the kicker: things aren’t going to change
until we snap out of it. Feeling super-busy isn't the
same as getting things done and achieving results.
And while we’re stuck, opportunities keep flying by.
Think about it. The people you know who are successful in making a difference have common traits:
> they’re responsive to others
> they do what they say they’ll do
> we know we can depend on them
> they hold themselves accountable
> they don’t overpromise or overcommit
> they don’t make excuses, they get results
All of us are capable of being one of these successful people, by:
- getting out of our own heads
- owning our responsibility to the greater good
- committing but not overcommitting
- prioritizing what we say we will do
- managing our time well, and
- following through
Hey, it’s not rocket science. People are doing this. You can too.
Need some incentive?
1: you’ll get control over your life again
2: you’ll have lasting impact in the lives of others
3: more of us will show up so we can celebrate instead of second-guess
Don’t point fingers at people with different views than ours. They have a right to their beliefs and opinions. It's time to point the finger at ourselves, supporting a ticket that kept telling us we needed to show up and we didn’t. Cheering at the rallies is exhilarating, but exercising our right in the quiet of the voting booth is where we make a difference.
We each have to take better take care of our own business. Not sure where or how to begin? Re-read this piece. Make changes. Practice. Repeat. You’ll be amazed at the improvement in your quality of life, personally, professionally and for the greater good.
There are people out there looking for you to show up!
The Worthy Educator offers group and individual Impact Coaching to support you in realizing your full potential and achieving your goals.
Learn more, view testimonials, and join us here.
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