Tuesday, August 01, 2023

NEW INC. MAGAZINE ARTICLE BY HOWARD TULLMAN

 

Don't Turn Your Business Over to the Trolls

If you don't stand up for your company's values, the vacuum won't go unfilled. Defendant Don has shown that lies are powerful. Leaders need to speak up or their employees will do it for them-- right or wrong. 

 

BY HOWARD TULLMAN, GENERAL MANAGING PARTNER, G2T3V AND CHICAGO HIGH TECH INVESTORS@HOWARDTULLMAN1

 

Summer TV is the worst. A three-month mediocre mashup of cheap and embarrassing reality shows, real estate porn, and an endless collection of reruns that weren't worth watching the first time around. As we roll into August, there are only two things that are demonstrably less appealing to contemplate than another month of fruitlessly smashing your remote searching for something to watch.

First, the fact that the summer season of eyewash and squalor may never end because of the writers' and actors' strike. Thank goodness for Netflix's backlog and the few offshore, non-union productions that are still cranking out new stuff. And second, the prospect that the 2024 election is highly likely to be a painful, perverse, and putrid repeat of the last Biden-Trump battle. To paraphrase Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be these two guys. As someone recently said, with all of Defendant Trump's accumulated legal problems, frauds and lies, and sexual predations, the only job he probably could get at this point is the Presidency.

Two old men-- one bitter, crooked, and destructive and the other tired, tongue-tied, and torn in too many directions by his own stupid party - will duke it out, spend hundreds of millions of dollars to no good end, and not change a single voter's mind except maybe for those who are dissuaded from voting by all this nonsense. Once again, most voters will already know what they believe and who they're voting for, right or wrong; they're simply looking for reinforcement and reassurance rather than any kind of enlightenment or education. 

As much as I hate creepy Mike Lindell, I'd rather skip the next 18 months of ugliness to see these two old codgers in a charity pay-per-view cage match using My Pillows to harmlessly beat each other up with all the proceeds going to institutions that can save lives, feed children, and make some actual difference in the world. Instead, we can expect non-stop noise, negativity and name-calling--mostly from the MAGA morons-- and not much else.

The Democrats still haven't learned who they're battling and just how low these creatures will go. Going soft seems to be in vogue everywhere these days - certainly when you look among Democratic politicians, starting with the president. They all seem afraid to say virtually anything to avoid offending anyone. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, with their old school protocols, stupid antiquated rules and time-consuming procedures are clueless and aren't up to the battle. The game today is all about heat, not light, and they're losing every day. President Biden really needs to get into the fight, or he may get beat because people today understand passion and energy much better than facts and figures.

The singly most frightening aspect of Trump getting back on the debate stage with Biden is that the Orange Monster's rants, rages, lies and sheer presence will blow Uncle Joe away. Trump's passion may be fraudulent, his language may be libelous, his tales may all be lies, but the power and theatricality of his performances and the overpowering force of his debauched and despicable personality are undeniable. They connect with millions of confused and unhappy people today who are easily swayed and looking for guidance and charismatic leadership for anyone and anywhere they can find it.

Regrettably, Trump and his clones continue to show the world and demonstrate that screaming, scheming, and whining often succeeds. Too many people simply no longer care for the warm and fuzzy pablum the Dems are putting out or believe that good thoughts, calm competence and good deeds matter.  They've been taught that the louder the lie, the more likely it is to be believed. It's all about confrontation, conflict, complaints and criticism rather than reason and rapport. Sincerity and subtlety are remnants of times long past and sadly these are Biden's strengths.

We live in a media-made world of fake tough guys like Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The message of their constant threats, claims and belligerence bleeds through whether you like it or not and infects people who work for you as well.  This rot is contagious and it's also impacting our peers, our partners and our kids. Far too many entrepreneurs are trying to fight the onslaught of cynicism, selfishness, and victimhood by bending over backwards to placate and pacify their employees and offer them things that simply make no sense for their businesses - all in the name of buying some peace and quiet. This is a very slippery slope and, unfortunately, all these actions aren't being interpreted by the younger workers as expressions of care and concern; they're being seen as signs of weakness and as concessions, which most often precipitate further demands.

Whether the issue is "work from home," debates over company policies or positions, comp questions or dress and pet codes, it's starting to feel like too many of the loudest and most vocal "inmates" think they should be running the asylum. Putting aside the governance concerns, and the damage that's always caused by dragging performance and politics into the workplace,  I think a much bigger question is the risk that the key members of the team -- focused, heads-down, and working their butts off every day - will lose confidence in senior management, believing that they no longer represent the aggressive and competitive leaders.

If you look around, the signs of "softness" are spreading. Who really knew that Scott Galloway, a New York University marketing professor, prolific pontificator, and erstwhile celebrity podcaster had a soft and sensitive side and, far more importantly, who really cares. I'm glad he loved his Mom and loves his kids but was that the reason that anyone paid attention to his entertaining and usually enlightening speeches, classes, courses, marketing screeds and profane stock predictions? I don't think so.

If that's the direction he's headed in his Pivot podcasts along with Kara Swisher's constant updates on her family affairs, opening night fetes, and non-stop name dropping, I'll be pivoting promptly to some new sources for the tech spiels, scoops, and stick-it-to-ems that were once the duo's stock in trade. Galloway morphed from a hard-edged and critical corporate analyst to a happy house husband and pseudo-psychiatrist. He was strong and strident and now he's soft and squishy. Whatever is driving the new plentiful and painful sharing, it's just TMI and certainly too much for me.

And it's just another version of the "bring your whole self to work" delusion that ignores the abundant evidence that almost no one in charge really cares about your whole self, all your hurt feelings, your triggers, and your conviction that you're grossly under-appreciated, under-valued, and unfairly compensated. If you're unhappy with your job and your life, find something else to do and somewhere else to work.

If you're watching your business slowly float away from you and you feel as though you're losing control of the conversation, now's the time to step in and stem the flow by saying, "enough is enough."  Your people need direction, vision and leadership and you can't do the job halfway. Make your message simple, short, and strong. The rules haven't changed: the ones who care the most win. Don't wait for things to get worse. Be difficult and direct when you need to be. Tell the truth - stand up for what you believe is right and fair - and tell your people why it's worth the pain and struggle to do the right things the right way.

As former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously told President George H.W. Bush in discussing how the U.S. should respond to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait: "Remember George, this is no time to go wobbly."