Leadership Lessons From Election Night: Trust, Humility, and Accountability

The results of the November 3rd election are being discussed widely by Americans and the world over. Political analysts will spend considerable time examining the issues, strategies, and circumstances that influenced voters’ decisions. But as an organizational psychologist and leadership consultant, I’m asking a different question: What can these results teach us about leadership?

Whether we’re talking about elected officials, corporate executives, or frontline managers, leadership carries tremendous responsibility. The decisions leaders make, the values they demonstrate, and the way they treat others have consequences that extend far beyond themselves.

November 3rd was a reminder of a truth leaders in every arena forget at their peril: power is on loan. The people who grant it can take it back, and when they do, it’s rarely sudden. It’s the result of a long accumulation of not being heard.

And while an election or promotion confers authority, it does not confer the ability to lead.

I’m drawing on Jim Collins’s concept of Level 5 Leadership to examine the leadership lessons of November 3rd.

What Is Level 5 Leadership?

In Good to Great (2001), Jim Collins and his research team examined what enabled certain companies to move from being merely good to achieving sustained greatness. One of their key findings was that these companies were led by a distinctive type of leader, whom they called a Level 5 Leader.

These leaders demonstrated a seemingly contradictory combination of personal humility and professional will. They were ambitious, determined, and committed to achieving results, but their ambition was directed toward the success of the organization rather than their own personal recognition or advancement.

Lesson 1: Humility Is a Strength, Not a Weakness

We often associate leadership with confidence, charisma, and the ability to command attention. But confidence and arrogance are not the same thing.

Effective leaders recognize that they don’t have all the answers. They listen, consider opposing viewpoints, acknowledge mistakes, and are willing to change course when necessary.

Leaders who lack humility, however, become so invested in their own perspectives that they dismiss information that challenges their assumptions. Worse, they surround themselves with people who tell them what they want to hear rather than what they need to know.

In organizations, this creates cultures where employees stop speaking up, not because they agree, but because they’ve learned that their opinions aren’t valued.

Elections are one of the few moments when the people being led get to answer back, all at once. Leaders who stop listening don’t get a warning. They get a verdict. In organizations the verdict looks different: your strongest people quietly update their résumés, meetings fill with nods and empty of truth, and you find out what people really thought in their exit interviews. By then it’s too late.

Humility requires the confidence to recognize that being in charge doesn’t mean always being right.

Lesson 2: Accountability Means Looking in the Mirror

One of my favorite concepts from Collins’s work is what he calls the window-and-mirror principle.

When things go well, Level 5 leaders look out the window to acknowledge the contributions of others. When things go poorly, they look in the mirror to examine their own responsibility.

Unfortunately, we frequently witness the reverse.

Some leaders are quick to claim credit for successes while blaming employees, external circumstances, or anyone else available when things go wrong.

But what message does that send to the people they lead?

Consider a CEO whose company experiences a dramatic decline in profits. Rather than taking responsibility for the organization’s performance, the CEO blames employees, previous leadership, unfavorable market conditions, or anyone else who can serve as a convenient scapegoat. But where is the accountability for the decisions made under their own leadership? Effective leaders don’t simply take credit when things go well and point fingers when they don’t. They recognize that with authority comes responsibility, especially when things go wrong.

Accountability isn’t simply about accepting blame. It’s about having the integrity to examine your own contribution to a problem and the courage to do something about it!

When leaders consistently deflect responsibility, they undermine trust and credibility. And once trust is lost, even the most compelling vision becomes difficult to achieve.

Deflection works for a while. People notice who takes credit and who takes cover, and they keep score. Eventually that tally comes due in a vote, a board meeting, a resignation letter, or a culture so depleted that no strategy can save it.

Lesson 3: Professional Will Means Putting the Mission Before the Ego

Humility alone does not make a great leader. Collins’s Level 5 leaders also demonstrate extraordinary determination and an unwavering commitment to achieving meaningful, lasting results.

The distinction lies in where they direct that ambition.

Are they working to advance the mission of the organization, or are they primarily concerned with protecting their image, preserving their authority, and promoting themselves?

This is a question every leader must answer, including ourselves.

In both government and business, leaders make decisions that serve their immediate interests at the expense of the people and institutions they’re responsible for leading.

When leaders put self-preservation ahead of the mission, the people they serve figure it out. And once people believe a leader is in it for themselves, nothing that leader says will be trusted, no matter how good the message is.

Yet exemplary leadership requires something more. It requires the willingness to make difficult decisions, confront uncomfortable realities, and sometimes sacrifice personal recognition for the greater good.

Level 5 leaders understand that their responsibility extends beyond their own tenure. They work to develop others and build organizations capable of succeeding long after they’ve moved on.

After all, isn’t the true measure of leadership what we leave behind, rather than simply what we accomplish for ourselves?

The Election Happening in Your Organization

You may never face a ballot. But make no mistake: you’re being voted on every day. Your team votes with their engagement, their candor, and their willingness to go the extra mile. Your top performers vote with their feet. Your customers vote with their loyalty. The title on your door doesn’t protect you from any of it. Holding power right now is not the same as keeping it.

Leadership Is More Than a Position

The results of the November 3rd election will be interpreted in many ways. But regardless of political affiliation, they provide an opportunity to reflect on what we should expect from those entrusted with power.

And these lessons apply equally to those who won and those who lost. To those who lost: this is the reckoning. To those who won: this is your warning. The same people who handed you power are watching what you do with it.

Being elected, promoted, or appointed to a leadership position does not automatically make someone an effective leader. Leadership is more than a title. It is reflected in our character, our behavior, and our commitment to those we serve.

As organizational leaders, we have both an enormous responsibility and an opportunity to positively influence the lives of others.

The question is whether we’re willing to exercise that responsibility with the humility, accountability, and determination it deserves.

So look in the mirror and ask yourself: If the people I lead could vote tomorrow, would I keep my job?

References and Further Reading

Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don’t. Harper Business.

Collins, J. (2005). Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve. Harvard Business Review.

Collins, J. Level 5 Leadership. JimCollins.com.

About the Author

Dr. Nicole Cutts is a licensed clinical psychologist, organizational consultant, and leadership development expert. Through Cutts Consulting, LLC, she helps organizations strengthen leadership effectiveness, improve communication, develop high-performing teams, and create healthier organizational cultures.