Do business leaders have anything to learn from Pauline Hanson? You’d be surprised…

Pauline Hanson’s recent address to the senate wearing a burka was labelled a stunt, toxic, divisive, and derogatory to Muslims. Hanson rejected this, saying ‘most Australians want to see the banning of the burka’…because ‘terrorism is a true threat to the country.’ Pauline’s claims were not rational or logical…they were emotive, and another example of the way she continually aligns her behaviour with the beliefs and values (self-interest, self-preservation, safety/survival, security, family/belonging) of a significant number of Australians.
Let’s get this straight from the start - our values at The Culture Doctor are not aligned with Pauline Hanson’s. However, while her critics write her off, we understand her tactics: say things and behave in a way that plays on the subconscious fear of an increasing number of Australians.
When values are aligned…
Senator Hanson is an interesting study in the power of alignment. Any person must become aligned before they can become engaged. That’s why engagement surveys only tell part of the story – they tend to be shallow measure of the concept of values alignment.
Pauline Hanson appears to be driven by strong beliefs and values and she’s not afraid to express them. In an electorate tired of the political status quo, Hanson represented the ordinary Australian. On One Nation’s website, people can read ‘what the party stands for’. First and foremost is ‘Australian values –
“Australia is for Australians and under our constitution only Australians decide our laws and obligations, decide who will enter and live in our country, and decide how we ensure our nation’s safety and economic security.”
This speaks directly to the fear many Australians have of migrants (they are dictating how we live, taking our jobs and ripping off the system) and Muslims (we abhor the way they treat women; how do we know which one is a terrorist?)
People also aren’t put off by her quavering, unpolished voice – they see it as unscripted and authentic. She speaks her mind -whether her opinions are based on evidence or logic doesn’t matter – she’s saying out loud what many Australians are afraid to say themselves. On her website, she states: “We listen and we care enough to speak for the voiceless and the powerless.”
Pauline’s political strategy
Hanson worked out that if she cultivated this authentic, ‘fearless’, ordinary persona, she’d resonate with more Australians. The Senate burqa stunt offended and outraged the political elites but it aligned with the beliefs (fears) of ordinary Australians. Another example is her comments on removing Autistic children from mainstream classrooms - claiming they needed special attention and were holding back other kids who wanted to learn. Comments like these may be lacking in morality and values of inclusiveness, empathy and fairness, but Pauline claims she’s just stating what a large number of Australian parents have been saying. While many parents dislike Hanson, they find themselves nodding in agreement nonetheless.
A seat in the senate and the balance of power
Where has Hanson’s tactic of aligning with the beliefs and values of a group of Australians got her in achieving her strategic purpose? A seat in the Senate. It’s significant because she holds an essential balance of power in Federal parliament now, and potentially might the hold balance of power in a not-to-distant State parliament.
Is Pauline becoming too clever?
Pauline has become an Australian Senator based on a platform of espousing certain values: ‘safety’, ‘common sense’, ‘ordinariness’.
However, brand Pauline is becoming tarnished. She is starting to fail on ‘trust’, ‘transparency’ and ‘integrity’. When the public found out about a donated private plane which wasn’t disclosed, their trust eroded…what did Hanson have to hide?
She has also allowed the very people she successfully railed against – the political operatives – to advise her. Her brand is starting to tarnish because the values that she once espoused no longer match her behaviours. “She’s in it for the money”, some now cry. Integrity flies out the window. Perhaps the burka stunt was a crude attempt to realign her values in supporters’ eyes.
The power of aligning beliefs & values and the risk when they’re not 
Pauline Hanson won a Senate seat on the back of aligning her beliefs and values with those of many Australians. She is now losing momentum however, on the back of a series of statements and behaviours that seemingly deny/disavow/repudiate the values she has always espoused. Time will tell if this will mean the end of Hanson’s political career. Whatever happens, Hanson has shown just what can happen when your values and beliefs line up with others – you form a tribe, people follow you, you’re moving in the same direction. Powerful things can happen.
Pauline Hanson’s real values
If Senator Hanson completed the Minessence International Cooperative’s A Values Inventory™ used by The Culture Doctor®, her real and perhaps misaligned values would be unveiled. Do you think if these were published, she would maintain the support of her followers?
Do your values align with those of your team and customers?
What does this mean for your leadership. Are your values being read ambiguously by the team you seek to lead? How aligned are the espoused values of your enterprise with your team, your customers/clients? Do the behaviours that your team, your customers/ clients experience, align with the published values of your enterprise? What are you doing to protect your brand from the damage that such misalignment can cause? Would you like to experience what it’s like to work in a company in which everyone is going in the same direction, working together on the same goals?
Call us to find out…1300 650 080.