Words Matter: Reflections on the KY Election Results

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Leaders, your words matter, and people see through the spin...well, maybe!

This is not about politics, it just uses a political event as an illustration.

The Facts

This Tuesday, state elections were held around the country. In Kentucky, the governor race was closely contested. The Democratic candidate, Andy Beshear, holds 49.2% of the vote and the Republican candidate, Matt Bevin, holds 48.8% of the vote. The Kentucky secretary of state, a democrat, declared Andy Beshear the winner. Matt Bevin has yet to concede. A recount may still be declared and a recanvass has formally been announced by Matt Bevin.

The reporting of this event is a lesson for leaders in messaging and the interpretation of facts. Various news sites reported differently on this race but I want to highlight the two I watched:

The Spin

CNN hosts (Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo) and some of their guests, while not declaring a winner, speculated what the race means. They saw it as a loss for the Republican party, a win against what one guest called "Trumpism" and a revelation on the lack of President Trump's power and influence.

Fox News host (Laura Ingraham), and some of her guests, while not declaring a winner, speculated what the race means. They saw it as a win for the President and the Republican party, and a show of the presidents power to take a disliked governor and turn a race that should have been a 10 point loss into a closely contested race.

You, the leader

Each news source put their spin on the event. Each told a narrative. None of this is new, but it is a revelation of how leaders spin the facts to tell a narrative. It is a trait that we need to be careful with as leaders. Why? Because most people see through it, and they are getting sick of the spin (...well almost...but more and more are). They are hungry for honesty and the ability to make their own conclusions.

Our words matter as leaders, and how we tell a story with those words matters even more. What we say, how we say it, the emotions we evoke with those words, it all matters.

Leaders: What narrative will you tell about events in the areas where you lead? Your followers are watching, and it bears repeating. They are hungry for honesty, and are intelligent enough to make their own decisions.

Followers: Decode the narrative of your leaders and press for the brutal facts. Don't let leaders spin their way to a narrative of their choosing. Be hungry for honesty and use your intelligence and make your own decisions. Hold leaders accountable and they won't be, change them. You actually have the power!