What Can Leaders Learn from Trump & Sanders?
By leadership author and keynote speaker Ross Shafer
I’m Ross Shafer and I want to thank you for finding the Relevant Leaders Club. I post new videos every week for leaders who want to take away new ideas to boost their business or career. Today’s focus is on presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders but this is not a political rant or an endorsement. Leaders need to know WHY they have become national phenomenons; in spite of the fact that Trump insults everybody and Sanders is a socialist. Why does this matter to you? Because YOU would love for your products and services to become as popular as they have.
So the let’s see what we can learn from these two men… I’ll start with Trump: he has insulted women, Muslims and he says the delegate system is rigged. He’s been the toughest on his opponents; Ben Carson is too sleepy and Marco Rubio was too tiny, he needed lifts in his boots; look at my fashion model wife compared to lying Ted Cruz’s wife; he doesn’t even like the way John Kasich eats pancakes. He’s so outrageous that his own party mounted a Stop Trump movement…but NONE of his antics have slowed down his popularity because the voting-public like him… do you know why? Trump is perceived as strong and fearless.
Bernie Sanders is creating the same kind of phenomenon for the Democrats. On paper, his resume doesn’t sound presidential. He’s 74. He was a virtually unknown, socialist senator from Vermont. Who would have thought he’d have any chance against Hillary Clinton; a seasoned politician whose experience includes being the First Lady for eight years, the Secretary of State, and a seven-year senator from the giant state of New York. Yet, people love Bernie because he isn’t intimidated by the Clinton legacy, and once again, he is perceived as fearless. The common theme between Sanders and Trump is that they are candidates who show you their flaws. They may make mistakes but they are convicted. They aren’t begging for your vote. They keep their language simple and are saying what you would say if you didn’t have to worry about losing your job or your friendships. More importantly, they respect the power of public opinion. The public – YOUR CUSTOMERS are making them phenomena.
Trump and Sanders are examples of what happened to Abraham Lincoln in 1864 when he was elected by a unanimous landslide. In Lincoln’s acceptance speech he said, “With public sentiment nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.” Now, back to you. If you have a groundbreaking service or product that is getting underappreciated, find a way to get public opinion on your side. Be fearless. Be convicted. Make your message simple and authentic and let the public embrace you on their terms. Authentic is the key word. Your efforts cannot be contrived. You have to be able to tell a story that people care about.
In a future report I’ll talk about when I led a campaign to make Louie, Louie the state song of Washington. It became a national phenomenon we couldn’t stop. I’m Ross Shafer and if you liked what you‘ve heard in The Relevant Leaders Club please subscribe and comment down below from your experiences. If you do, other leaders in the club will benefit from your expertise. It helps the whole community. Be sure to download my free e-book here.
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