In my last blog, I revealed how propaganda, giving people a vote and campaigning on fear during the Brexit process can be directly related to the way businesses operate and market themselves.
I signed that post off by explaining how important it is to accept the result if you give your customers a vote. And, regardless of which side of the Brexit fence you sit on, you’ll probably agree that there are many politicians in this country who have a hard time doing that with the electorate.
So, what happens if you ask your customers to make a decision on something (the direction of a new product, for instance) and you don’t quite agree with the result?
David Cameron resigned from the post of Prime Minister on 13th July 2016 following the result of the Brexit referendum.
We’ll probably have to wait for his memoir to get the full story behind that decision, but it was clear he couldn’t personally justify residing in that post any longer, given the result.
In business, the buck always stops with the owner or CEO. If you’re that person and you instigate a vote that doesn’t go the way you or others within the business wanted, would you step down?
Some would say it’s courageous and shows the strength of your convictions while others would argue it’s an admission of defeat and indication that you perhaps didn’t want to instigate the vote in the first place.
When things don’t go as planned in business, weathering the storm and finding the right route forward for the people who matter the most (your customers) is always the best option. And it’s certainly better from a PR perspective.
But what if the leader leaves?
I’ve seen this happen consistently in businesses where rifts internally force people out, but I’ve also seen it where pressures from outside leave the boss with seemingly no choice.
If you find yourself in that position, you have to ask: what’s best for the business? If leaving will put it in a stronger position, or give someone who’s probably less jaded to see it through stormy waters, you shouldn’t feel like a failure for doing so.
In the case of Brexit, Cameron’s departure made way for Theresa May, who promised to deliver the Brexit mandate and reunite a divided county.
It didn’t work.
Theresa May had a tough job ahead of her. The outgoing PM had left her with a to-do list that was dominated by the ‘B’ word.
This is often the case in business. After a PR disaster or marketing campaign that didn’t go to plan, new entrants to the business will have to pick up the pieces.
But pick up the pieces they must, because running away from the problems left behind won’t get you very far. It’s important to give May her due here, because she didn’t run away from those responsibilities - she tackled them in a way she saw fit, regardless of whether or not you agreed with her approach.
As we now know, that tactic didn’t work, and May left a trail of poor headlines in her wake. Her legacy will forever be tainted by the Brexit period, but this is a great learning lesson for us all.
Your marketing efforts might not work. Get them wrong, and they’ll cause a stink that will last for a very long time. But do you stick or twist when you reach incredibly difficult periods like this?
Theresa May, eventually, left her post. We’ve all got our own opinions on whether she was pushed or left on her own accord - and whether she hung around for too long.
Given the sheer weight of poor headlines, however, it’s fair to assume it may have been the latter, at least in the minds of the public.
The business lesson here is simple. Sometimes, the voice of your customers is loud enough to demand action. It might be the volume of complaints about a certain product or backlash against a marketing campaign, but whatever it is, as the boss or marketing manager, you need to take action before things get uncomfortable - even if that means leaving the door open for a new leader.
I’ve got so many more thoughts on Brexit and the business lessons we can learn from it, so stay tuned for more posts on this topic!
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