From Moscow to MAGA: What I Learned About Authoritarian Playbooks

The Donald dabbles in retail—bibles and wine, leggings and socks, and, of course, hats. But the real currency he trades in is fear.

And it knows no boundaries. From Scotland to South Africa, from multinational corporations to family farms, from small nonprofits to global foundations, fear is now a factor in the decisions we make in our personal and professional lives. And it’s a kind of fear most of us have never experienced—that momentary pause, the hesitation that wasn't there a few months back.

Whether you’re the leader of a nonprofit, business, or small team, the question persists, like a drone hovering in our consciousness. Should I speak out or keep my head down? Are my papers in order? Is our impact report still contributing to brand value or has it become a lightning rod for the MAGA masses to attack our organization?

While not new for people systematically discriminated against or oppressed by autocrats or dictators, the looming fear we sense now is importantly different. In the modern age, we’ve never seen the vast power of the American presidency turned against the people and the government itself—bent on revenge and punishment, trampling laws, stealing personal information we’ve been assured was safe, and snatching people off the street.

This is a tectonic shaft.

But I experienced something like this when I ran a business for 17 years in the USSR and former Soviet Union. I witnessed what can happen when the government turns on its people. I witnessed democratic institutions being ripped apart. I knew people who were plucked off the street. I witnessed how an “edict from the authorities” can ruin a community and turn people into self-appointed vigilantes or informers.

When the lying and manipulation, the torturing of language, and the intentional confusion of ideology and facts began to unravel, high school history exams were cancelled across the country. Because they didn’t know how to grade them. The history that they had been teaching was false. Think for a moment about what that means—a people so disoriented that fact and fiction could not be distinguished, quite literally.

This disorientation is happening here, every day. But we can and must stop it.

Based on my experience, these are my suggestions to help you and your organization navigate this new era of fear.

Figure Out If You’re Being Targeted

People, organizations, and issues are all now in the crosshairs. Determine if you’re in the Trump administration’s sights and which of the three is drawing fire. Hold the emotions and assess the risks analytically. You may need to assign one person a tracking task and change your search notifications. Or, conversely, you may need to have a board-level discussion as part of revamping a strategic plan that no longer fits the operating landscape. Probably something in between.

Conduct a Damage Assessment

If you’re painting your apartment and the building collapses (and miraculously everyone is safe), what’s your next move? Surely, it’s not to return to painting. Audit your operations, communications, and strategy, as well as governance and organizational structure. How bad is the damage? To move forward, do you build, buy, or partner?

Don’t Get Out Ahead of the Headlights

Although independent thinking is a key leadership skill, connection is more important right now. Lead from where you are, not where you want to be. Don’t get so far ahead of your people that they cannot see you. Ask people what they need. Deliver it or explain why you can’t. Double down on your role as a coach, a mentor, and an inspiration—not just to motivate others, but to help everyone get the job done. Stick together.

Change Your Habits

Exercise muscles you didn’t even know you had. Commit to cross-training so people can back each other up. Set aside time in each meeting to hear and address emotional worries and political fears—and stick to that time. People need to share so they can refocus. Assign one person or team to track one issue or government department that’s critically important for your work. Standardize that tracking across the teams or people tracking. Find an organizational partner to help with this—or identify a source already doing it. The situation is not normal. Don’t act like it is.

Create a Resistance Schedule

One person takes daily responsibility for keeping the others informed. Mary takes Monday, Tom handles Tuesday, etc. Mary and Tom send around brief, curated highlights and lowlights. This limits everyone’s exposure to repetitive content. Stick to the schedule so the rest can truly disconnect and recenter.

Call It What It Is

Challenge spin and obfuscation. The financial impact of DOGE, for example, is hard to pin down due to massive distortion of “costs” and self-promoted “savings.” Instead of repeating the data that is wrong, speak to how far they are from reality (e.g. off by at least 30%). When officials deliver word salad, decode it. Don’t let jargon cover up the truth. If the United States is retreating from global responsibility—abandoning valuable partnerships and rapidly undoing decades of trust—say so clearly. Honesty matters more than decorum, especially when public trust is at stake. Truth and accuracy cut through the fog.

Be Accountable for Your Language

Pair up with a buddy and agree to call out each other’s word choices. Tell it like it is. Say “destructive” instead of “unbelievable,” or “deeply unstable” instead of “just crazy.” Propaganda thrives when we use language that downplays harm. Be honest with your words—and with yourself.

Protect Yourself

Always share your whereabouts with a colleague or partner—such as who you're meeting with and expected check-in times. If you miss the check-in, make sure your partner knows how to respond. This simple routine based on trust protects you from unforeseen risks in uncertain or volatile environments.

Plan Ahead

If you don’t have an incident response plan or crisis communications plan, prepare them. Now. Write a holding statement, now, addressing your greatest vulnerability. Develop talking points. Now. Get help if you need it. The simpler the better; they don’t have to be long. And remember, the character and scale of the challenge is new. Adjust your thinking.

Remember That Strategy Is Not a Plan

Really, it’s not about the document. It’s the thread that ties together values, mission, operations, and vision. Is your strategy still viable? Confirm the values and purpose of the organization you lead. Put your long-term vision on hold and set two-year goals instead.

Speak Your Values

Identify one core fact central to your mission (say, honesty) and shape a simple, repeatable message around it. Use it frequently until it feels inherent and natural and then rotate in another. Be sure your data is verified. In a world of misinformation, reliable facts deployed well are your sharpest tools.

Check Supply Chains & Distribution Methods

Every organization has mission-critical inputs and outputs. Whether you’re leading a community nonprofit helping feed the hungry or a manufacturer of solar panels, you need to look beyond what your organization can control and see which external dependencies are critical. Can you collaborate with organizations that have the same dependencies?

Whether you’re a business, a nonprofit, or a foundation, don’t lose sight of your fundamental purpose. Mission is only part of purpose. Why are you doing what you are doing? Reviewing and deepening everyone’s understanding of purpose isn’t just talk. It’s part of how we make and maintain community.

Now more than ever, when perceptions and the feelings evoked by a brand are so crucial, remember that you don’t own your brand. You just lease it from your stakeholders or customers—and they can cancel that lease with remarkable speed. Don’t give them a reason. Stay engaged. Listen carefully.