Corporate activism has been growing immensely in the last 20 years. This could be attributed to the increased need for transparency within the corporate world. Investors and major stakeholders have been keen on who the companies they invest in do business with and how people view these partners. Working through politics in the office has been difficult for leaders because many people are involved, including stakeholders, employees and customers.
Managing Politics in the Office
Being in the corporate world, Greg Blatt has seen and experienced the rise of politics in the corporate sector. Before taking his role as the general counsel for InterActivCorp, Greg was the general counsel for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
He became IAC’s CEO, as well as other businesses within this company. Any corporation involves many individuals, and each one of them has different political beliefs. Therefore, having a unified view of all these people is impossible. The best way to approach politics in any office is to ensure it doesn’t affect other business decisions. Blatt believes that most of the corporate seniors in the US would wish they kept their companies out of politics. Unfortunately, in today’s world, everything is political, and there is always an unwillingness to accept the apolitical approach in business.
According to Blatt, staying in politics can be messy, but doing the opposite can be disadvantageous. Therefore, it all comes down to what you involve yourself in and what don’t you. Next, think about the company’s position. Total avoidance of politics is out of the question, so the best course for any modern CEO is to approach the topic rigorously through analysis and discipline. Greg Blatt advises that if you make any political decision, it should be informed and not based on “I saw it on social media or TV”. Have facts before making any business decision to avoid unnecessary upheavals, boycotts and walkouts.
About Greg Blatt
Greg is an American businessman, lawyer and investor. He is the former chairman of Match Group, the parent company of primary online dating services such as Tinder, Match.com and OkCupid. Before joining IAC, Blatt worked at the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, and Rosen & Katz. He has been a director since 2003 at various companies, including Expedia, Warner Music Group, and InterActiveCorp. Blatt is currently a venture partner at Benchmark Capital.
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More about Blatt on https://medium.com/@gregblatt