In the Face of Division, Executive Thought Leadership Can Offer Unity Through Values
Cultural and societal fragmentation is nothing new.
Nations have faced moments of civil division throughout history. Some managed peaceful resolutions. Some led to war. And leaders have been both steadfast pillars of unity and fomenters of division.
But too often, modern leaders seek advantages through division. Politics rewards partisanship. Social media rewards engagement. Fortunately, elected officials and pop-culture figureheads aren’t the only ones who can speak out on leadership.
Executives become leaders by running successful businesses, which readers are curious to learn more about. By using their platforms to communicate the values and good workplace practices that underlie their successful approaches, these business leaders draw in, build, and nurture relationships with prospective and current stakeholders. Meanwhile, readers gain access to their hard-learned lessons throughout that journey into leadership that they can apply to their professional careers.
Against a backdrop of emotion-baiting, identity-clutching, and AI, this win-win gives executives an opportunity to stand out and generate engagement around a more productive kind of leadership.
Most executives don’t benefit from division
“Us vs them” energy may work be great click-bait, but business leaders benefit when their organization is united. A 92-team study found that when leaders promote cooperative goals and shared time alignment across their teams, it not only improves team coordination but also significantly boosts employees' sense of thriving at work
Sure, executives worry about engagement. But the rage that provides quick wins on social media and in partisan sparring would only hurt a business. Gallup says engaged employees outperform their less engaged coworkers in productivity and profitability. Such employee engagement comes through support and encouragement: when managers address and resolve discord, recognize employee contributions, advocate for their values, and demonstrate that they care.
Of course, executives may have political leanings, but it may not benefit them to bring those beliefs into the workplace. According to research published in the University of Chicago Business Law Review, political posturing may win over those who align with the same beliefs, but it also risks animus from those who disagree, which may outweigh the potential benefits. Neither side was happy, for example, when Coca-Cola took a public stance against Georgia’s new voting rights law: conservatives called them out for engaging in politics and liberals, for not doing enough. When sharing values through the lens of tried-and-tested business practices rather than political positions, however, executives can speak out with fewer risks.
Executive insights can cut through the noise
The most impactful executive messages promote practices they know to be effective at sustaining performance and trust, regardless of feelings or opinions:
Inclusion: In a review of inclusion literature, teams with inclusive cultures report higher innovation, better risk assessment, improved team communication, and better financial performance overall compared to less inclusive peers.
Diversity: According to McKinsey, a lack of diversity is costly, and getting more expensive: “Companies in the top quartile for both gender and ethnic diversity in executive teams are on average 9 percent more likely to outperform their peers… Meanwhile, those in the bottom quartile for both are 66 percent less likely to outperform financially on average, up from 27 percent in 2020.”
Wellness: Research shows that physically and mentally healthy employees deliver notably better performance than those who are under strain, and that companies with strong health and wellness cultures see employees who work more careful, are less distracted, and have fewer absences.
Transparency: Deloitte’s 2024 “Human Capital Trends” shows that when leadership communicates with transparency around the “why” of their decisions, employees report higher levels of trust, engagement, and retention.
Executives building such supportive structures and getting tangible returns should speak out about those examples. Such thought leadership can promote better business outcomes for others and a positive reputation for themselves.
Messages of unity for better business make history
When history looks back on modern divisions, executives can differentiate their voice in leadership discourse by standing for proven business values that promote shared purpose and long-term unity.
Andrew Carnegie’s life-changing experience with borrowing books from public libraries became a passionate cause. He wrote about their value in his book, The Gospel of Wealth, and told the New York Times “I decided then and there that if ever I had any surplus wealth I would use it in lending books to others.”
Levi Strauss & Co. took an early stand on civil rights, hiring African-American workers in their factories during WWII and fighting against workplace segregation in the 1960s. What began as compliance with Roosevelt’s order prohibiting racial discrimination in defense-related industries and navigating labor shortages during the war soon became a value they consistently defended despite pushback.
While the organizations who cave to division will haunt us as cautionary tales, the ones we look back on as models will be those whose leaders defended their values by pointing to the successes of their businesses. This can look like a telecom CEO speaking out about the importance of infrastructure investments and connecting rural communities, or a tech leader shining a spotlight on how their business improved through inclusive hiring programs.
By highlighting ways values of unity have contributed to their organizational success, executives can speak thoughtfully during cultural turbulence while reminding people who they are and what they stand for. Those who divide will ultimately be lost in the cloud of progress.
