Swear-Ins and Shake-Ups: What Modern Leaders Can Learn from the Trump-Biden Transition
How do you manage a leadership transition when half the room wants you gone?
Today, the world watches as a dramatic leadership transition unfolds. Trump steps back into power and Biden packs up. And it’s all got me thinking: what can modern leaders learn from the most high-profile leadership transition in the world? Whether you’re stepping into a new role, leading a reorg, or just trying to get your team to adopt a new policy, there are lessons to be learned from the chaos of a presidential handoff.
The Big Business of Leadership Transitions
Changing leaders isn’t just a symbolic moment; it’s a billion-dollar process. In the corporate world, executive transitions cost companies an average of $1.8 million per hire when you factor in lost productivity, culture shifts, and severance packages.
In politics, the numbers are even bigger. The Biden-Trump transition will see 4,000+ federal jobs change hands, a massive bureaucratic reshuffling that affects everything from economic policy to international relations. Every major transition sets off a chain reaction: new policies, new teams, new corporate lobbying strategies.
For companies, the stakes might not be that high, but the playbook is similar. A leadership shake-up—whether it’s in the White House or the C-suite—is about more than just a fresh face at the top. It’s about trust, continuity, and how you sell change to a skeptical audience.
Lesson #1: Change Without Alienation
When Biden took office in 2021, his administration prioritized reversing several policies from the previous administration, including rejoining the Paris Agreement, reinstating pandemic task forces, and adjusting immigration policies. Similarly, Trump's incoming administration has outlined plans to implement significant policy shifts, such as expanding immigration enforcement, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and expanding fossil fuel production, and restructuring federal agencies. Good or bad (and as an independent I’ll happily hear you out on all sides), these immediate reversals set the tone: new leadership, new direction.
But that approach has a trade-off: When you undo everything your predecessor did, you risk alienating their supporters.
In business, this is a classic mistake. New CEOs love to rip up the playbook, but research from McKinsey suggests that the most successful leaders retain about 70% of existing policies while making targeted, meaningful changes. Too much upheaval, and you lose institutional knowledge and employee buy-in.
Takeaway: Change is necessary, but it needs to feel strategic, not like a revenge tour. Instead of dismantling everything, focus on what’s working and build from there.
Lesson #2: Narrative is Everything
Trump’s return to office is already making waves—not just because of policy, but because of perception. His campaign ran on the idea that America had lost its way under Biden, and that only a dramatic shake-up could “fix” things. Whether that’s true or not is debatable, but the narrative? Crystal clear.
The best leaders understand that perception drives engagement. Look at Apple: When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs, he didn’t say, “I’m making Apple softer, more collaborative, and less ruthless.” Even if that was true, the narrative was: “We’re still Apple. We still innovate.”
Takeaway: Employees, customers, and shareholders don’t just need action; they need a story. Sell them on the mission before you start moving the furniture.
Lesson #3: Know Who’s Staying and Who’s Going
One of the first moves any incoming president makes? Personnel changes. Cabinet members, senior advisors, heads of agencies—they all get shuffled. The lesson for business leaders: People matter more than policies. A new strategy is worthless if the team executing it isn’t aligned. Research shows that higher executive turnover relates to lower returns.
Takeaway: Don’t gut the leadership team just to make a statement. Change agents are important, but so is continuity.
Lesson #4: Expect (and Manage) the Backlash
Every leadership transition—especially a controversial one—comes with backlash. Employees who liked the old way resist the new way. Some jump ship. Others drag their feet.
In politics, this plays out dramatically: protests, lawsuits, media storms. In business, it’s quieter but no less damaging—passive resistance, drops in productivity, behind-the-scenes power struggles.
A McKinsey study found that 70% of major change initiatives fail due to employee pushback. The best leaders expect resistance and manage it early by:
Over-communicating the vision
Identifying internal influencers to champion the change
Creating quick wins to prove the transition’s value
Takeaway: Don’t assume people will just get on board. Address concerns early, and make the case for why the change is necessary.
Where to Find Me:
January 22: I’m talking all things branding at the Hello Alice virtual forum, with my friends Sunny Bonnell, Renee Rossi, and Danny Auld. If you want to figure out how to stand out in a crowded market (ie: how exactly to go that extra mile), this is the space for you.
March 8-11: Meet me in Austin at SXSW, where I’ll be at the Inc. House, Fast Company, and catching up with friends old and new.
March 12: Join me at Fintech Meetup in Las Vegas on the Unlocking and Accelerating Funding for Women and Diverse Founders in Fintech panel, with Tricia Costello of Portfolia and Nicole Casperson of Fintech is Femme.
Wrapping It Up: Leadership is About Trust
Here’s the final lesson from the Trump-Biden shuffle: Leadership isn’t just about vision; it’s about trust. The most successful transitions aren’t the ones that shake things up the fastest—they’re the ones that bring people along for the ride.
So, whether you’re taking over a Fortune 500 company or just trying to get your team to accept a new CRM software, remember: Change is inevitable, but how you handle it determines whether people follow you—or fight you the whole way.
