First things first. I apologize for being wrong about how this election would turn out. I accept responsibility for it. I let you down. If you want to tell me about my failure, that’s your right. If you’re angry with me, I understand.
I make no excuses. All I can say is that I’m sorry.
Trying to figure out where we go from here isn’t something we’re going to be able to do overnight. All I really want to say at the outset is that you can beat me up all you want, but I’d like to discourage you from engaging in widespread recriminations against people who you will now need as your allies. Some of it you might just need to get out of your system. Say it and be done with it.
There’s a lot of places to place blame, but most of the people you’d be blaming are feeling just as upset as you.
Try to have some dignity. And don’t make things worse than they have to be. Maybe look for some new voices who weren’t aggressively wrong all year long. Give others a chance to put their brains to this new set of daunting problems and challenges. Don’t let old habits and animosities blind you to the fact that you have a lot of new people on your team now who are interested in making peace at least long enough to make common cause.
Most of all, be forgiving to each other. Not everyone is going to react well to this and some are going to say things that they’ll regret or that put them at odds with you and your core values. People aren’t at their best when they’re afraid and confused.
It’s hard to even start a list of all the problems we now have. It will take time to triage. Trust me, a new generation of leaders will emerge shortly. Maybe you’ll be one of them.
