Why CEOs Shouldn’t Tell Everyone HOW to VOTE #Brexit #President #Governors

Posted by: Sandra Rupp on: June 23, 2016

• In: Careers | CEOs | Corporate Social Responsibility | Democracy | Dove | Leadership | Politics | Sustainability | Unilever | World Politics
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How would you feel if CEOs told you & your family How to Vote? For me, it is an alarming trend.

UPDATE: After this post, CEOs have cut back on telling employees and customers how to vote, so Sandra is buying Unilever’s TRESemme and Dove products again 🙂

Executive Coach & Anchor Sandra Rupp

Unilever CEO @PaulPolman

I read a post in Harvard Business Review about concerns with CEOs trying to influence how people vote  There is even a PR research study on it. (Update: since this post there are articles in The Washington Post & the Naples Daily News on why “Consumers aren’t buying CEO Politics”). To me Politics, Business & Religion are three very different realms, and they should not tell each other what to do. I am very concerned by a trend I am seeing among a handful of mostly male Davos CEOs and today, on the day that the UK Votes on #Brexit I am speaking up. The Economist had a cover post recently about how people’s Freedom of Speech is under attack (even on social media) and how it is time to speak up. It is one thing if a CEO is asked by an employee or friend what their view is on a political or religious topic. It is quite another for CEOs to be tweeting or appearing in front of the media and telling employees and customers how to vote (one American banker threatened to take jobs away from the UK if they voted #Brexit and a California CEO has bullied US Governors, a female University President & NC’s Moms). Women executives have asked me to discuss this topic. WATCH my BREXIT VIDEO to UK-based Unilever CEO (he is one of my favorite CEOs but even he’s been tweeting how to vote on Brexit to his employees & customers (70% Women). They own Lever, Lipton, Dove, Axe, Hellmann’s & TreSemme. I highlight 5 Things people might want to know about Democracy. For the time being, I won’t be able to use their products as much as I really like his work on sustainability. It goes against my conscience. CLICK TO VIEW:

 

Sandra Rupp is an Executive Coach and Anchor who was placed on the THINKERS50 Guru Radar List for the world’s top business thinkers. She has 20+ years experience advising the world’s top executives, a Kellogg/Northwestern MBA and studied International Business at Oxford. She wrote her history honors thesis on Democracy & the British Empire. She encourages employees who are uncomfortable with CEO activism to contact their Human Resources Deparment and give them her name as the Executive Coach. www.parthenonadvisors.com She has also initiated The Davos CEO Pledge to get more women invited to the World Economic Forum and more Diversity of Thought. Learn more at www.sandrarupp.com 

Tags: #Brexit, Boards, Davos Man, Davos Woman, Executive Career Coach, Leadership, Paul Polman, Sandra Rupp, The Yin & Yang of Leadership, Unilever