Virginia Mansell, Founding Partner and Executive Coach
I’ve had a few days to reflect on the recent federal election – the campaigning, the messaging, and the result. It offered a powerful lens on the leadership lessons emerging – what people value, expect, and demand of those in positions of influence. From campaign stops in remote regions to heartland conversations about what really matters to communities, the election revealed what people value most in their leaders. And regardless of political preferences, one thing is clear: the past few months have offered timely insights into the capabilities people now expect from their leaders.
Whether in boardrooms, leading a government department or business, or standing at the ballot box, expectations of leadership are shifting. Self-awareness, trust, influence, adaptability, and the ability to build meaningful relationships are no longer optional. They’re essential.
This post-election moment is a powerful prompt for leaders everywhere: Are you listening? Are you evolving? Are you staying curious? Are you adapting to stay relevant?
Why it matters beyond politics
Leadership mirrors the moment, and this election reflected more than a result. It revealed a shift in what people expect from those in positions of influence.
What the electorate demanded is echoing across organisations, too. Your employees, clients, investors, and communities are asking: Can I trust you? Do you see me? Will you adapt when it matters? Are you truly listening?
This isn’t about political ideology. It’s about presence, self-awareness, substance, and the willingness to adapt. Leaders are expected to hear different points of view, stay curious, and evolve their thinking.
But that’s not enough. A strong leader must also know how to communicate a vision – one that creates meaning for others. That means balancing short-term complexity with long-term direction and doing it in a way that others can connect with, believe in, and act on. Clear, empathetic, and consistent communication isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a strategic capability.
For leaders across every sector, this is a call to action: tune in more closely, show up more honestly, and lead in a way that brings others with you.
And in today’s climate of noise, change, and increasing mistrust, these aren’t just traits of good leadership; they sustain performance and cohesion through complexity.
So, what does this look like in practice? Here are four leadership lessons that matter now. Four takeaways for leaders who want to stay trusted, relevant, and heard, whatever the environment.
1. Leadership lessons: Trust is built on what you do. In everything you do
This election reminded us that trust doesn’t come from slogans or surface-level messaging. It’s earned through consistent, authentic behaviour and how leaders show up, especially when it matters most.
In leadership, trust isn’t declared; it’s demonstrated. It’s not just about what you say, but whether your actions reinforce it. Trust becomes your foundation when words and behaviour are aligned, and your values are visible in how you lead.
When working with senior leaders, I often remind them that their people are always watching, not with judgment, but with curiosity. They’re looking for alignment. They notice how you make decisions, how you respond to pressure, and whether you’re walking the talk.
Trust is built through integrity, clarity, and accountability. This is where executive presence and self-awareness come together, because how you show up every day sets the tone for your culture and credibility. It’s the leader who shows up the same way with frontline teams as they do with the board; that’s when culture and credibility align.
When trust is strong, people stay with you, even in uncertainty. When it’s not, no amount of vision or charisma will carry your leadership forward.
2. Leadership lessons: Listening is not a soft skill; it’s a survival skill
One of the clearest messages from this election was what happens when leaders stop listening. Leaders lose relevance fast when feedback loops are ignored, whether from voters or stakeholders.
In my work with executive teams, I often say: listening isn’t about agreeing with everyone. It’s about being open to what matters. It’s about hearing the signals, spoken and unspoken, and creating the space for others to be heard without defensiveness.
Listening is the foundation of influence. If people don’t feel heard, they won’t engage. And if you’re only listening to the loudest voices or the most comfortable ones, you’re not getting the full picture.
The most effective leaders I work with deliberately seek out diverse views, especially those that challenge their own. They use formal tools like 360 feedback and informal conversations to stay connected and accountable. And they don’t just collect input, they respond with clarity, relevance, and respect.
Listening well also requires self-awareness: knowing when you’re filtering feedback through your own bias, and when it’s time to sit with discomfort instead of moving to defend or fix.
In today’s fast-moving environment, listening isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s how leaders stay relevant, build trust, and demonstrate that they’re not just hearing but adapting.
3. Leadership lessons: Adaptability is how you stay relevant
The ability to adapt quickly, calmly, and purposefully is no longer a nice-to-have for leaders. It’s essential. One of the lessons from this election is that sticking to a script when the context has changed isn’t a strength; it’s stagnation, being out of touch.
Today’s most effective leaders stay close to the signals. They recognise when expectations are shifting, and they respond without panic, but with intention. They stay calm under pressure, knowing that presence and clarity matter most when things are uncertain.
Adaptability is grounded in self-awareness. It’s knowing when a decision you made yesterday no longer serves today. It’s the willingness to adjust, to test, to try again without seeing that as weakness. And it’s trusting your team enough to bring them into the tent and the change process.
It also comes from curiosity. A desire to stay alert, stay relevant, and genuinely understand what’s changing around you. Curious leaders connect more meaningfully because they’re not stuck defending the past; they’re interested in what’s emerging.
In my experience, adaptive leaders are the ones who create momentum. They give their teams confidence that change is navigable. They’re not reckless, but they are responsive, making it safe for others to shift.
Relevance isn’t maintained by doing what’s always worked. It’s earned by staying present, staying curious, and being brave enough to lead the shift when it’s needed most.
4. Leadership lessons: Vision only matters if others understand it and believe in it
A clear, compelling vision is essential, but it’s not enough. What matters is whether the people around you understand it, connect with it, and see their place within it.
I often see leaders working hard to define the “what” and the “why” of their strategy, but struggling to translate it into something meaningful for others. It’s not just about having a vision. It’s about how you bring people with you. How you communicate why it matters to them.
Communication is a leadership capability. The best leaders don’t just announce direction, they create understanding. They distil complexity, link it to shared purpose, and keep it grounded in what people care about.
And they don’t stop there. They stay consistent in message, meaning, and behaviour, continually checking in: Is this landing? Do people understand? Are we aligned?
They also balance short-term pressures with long-term clarity. In uncertain environments, people need to see the destination and trust how today’s decisions are getting us there.
Vision only becomes powerful when it creates shared meaning, connection, engagement, and energy. And that happens when leaders communicate with clarity, intention, and authenticity.
What this means for leadership
This election wasn’t just about a change in government; it was a signal about the kind of leadership people are looking for.
They want to trust their leaders. They want to feel heard. They want to see calm, capable adaptability in the face of complexity. And they want to understand and believe in the vision being shared with them.
For all of us in leadership, the message is clear: stay visible, stay relevant, and lead in a way that brings others with you.
At SMG, we believe that leadership today and into the future must be understood and developed across three core dimensions: contextual, behavioural, and commercial. These dimensions sit at the heart of our Leadership Capability Framework and reflect the reality that successful leadership depends not only on who you are but also on where you’re operating and how you deliver outcomes.
Many of the leadership capabilities I’ve reflected on here – trust, adaptability, communication, presence, and influence – are drawn from our Framework. If you want to explore this thinking further, you might also find value in our latest Leadership Capability Report.
I regularly work with CEOs and senior teams on how to lead through uncertainty, while staying trusted, responsive, and connected. If this resonates with you and if you want to work on your leadership capabilities, let’s talk. Feel free to contact me.
