My career...in politics (kind of)

On International Women’s Day, I was asked by a few universities to do a speech about my career and advice for a career in politics. While my career hasn’t been firmly in politics, I came up with the following. 

My career – for what has been a meandering, slightly unpredictable journey – began with a law degree at the University of Queensland, which I initially found terribly boring until I discovered international law and human rights.

From there, I took my first role with the Australian Commonwealth public service - firstly in international criminal and human rights law, then development, before moving to Cambodia to work on human trafficking for the UN and then becoming a consultant for organisations like World Vision, UNICEF and ECPAT.

My travels took me – via studies in France and the Netherlands – to London, where I worked as an international human rights lawyer for a few years before moving into the domestic UK charity sector and into senior management, before returning again to consultancy work. 

These days, I split my time between being an interim CEO – currently at the Fawcett Society – and working with charities on areas like strategic planning, change and crisis management, organisational strength, and impact.

The causes I’ve worked with can’t be summarised – all the issues are there. Examples include drug and alcohol addiction, poverty, child rights, environment and conservation, disability, education, and so much more. I’ve worked with mosques and with churches, with small river charities and with GirlGuiding UK. I’ve worked on charities focussed on a tiny village, and others working globally, or specialising in specific countries.

I doubt anyone is thinking: “I want that specific career path”!

I love what I do, but it’s not exactly a path I would lay out for someone else to follow. So, what I’m going to do instead is to share with you some of the learnings I’ve identified, and some that successful women in politics and leadership have shared with me, in the hope that you might find it useful.

1.    Love what you do

It’s may be a cliché to say do what you love but there is some validity to it. I haven’t yet found anyone who will pay me to lie on a warm grassy field and read books and drink champagne yet, but I do love my work.

This advice must be taken with a grain of salt. You don’t have to love every second of what you do, and there will always be elements of every job that are boring or frustrating or stressful.

And, you do have to start at the bottom, and the bottom means doing more of the boring and less independent things. Use the time to learn and to build your memory banks about what it feels like to be on the bottom rung - and never forget it.

While you're there, if you focus on furthering the causes that matter to you, the impact you’re having will always get you through. Working on the issues that interest you mean that even the most boring task has a place in a bigger, more interesting world.

2.    Beware the bubble.

Our world is undoubtedly growing more polarised. People tend to spend more time with those they agree with, and their definitions and language used around value becomes the defining standard.

The more you can spend time with people who think differently from you, the more you’ll realise that people’s values don’t always sound the same, but almost everyone has them – and they’re more similar than they seem at first glance.

My work in charities has taught me this so clearly – there are many people whose political views I don’t share but whom I have met as volunteers, Trustees or staff of charities who are doing excellent work to make the world a better place.

Knowing you don’t have the monopoly on being a good or intelligent person is essential.

3.    Find common ground

Practise the skills and attitudes you need to find common ground. It’s something that some campaigners find anathema, and that’s a problem. Calling out bigotry is the right thing to do in some situations, but not all.

Learning how to have difficult conversations and to communicate what you believe in a way that invites someone in, or at least leaves them respecting you and your opinion, is a skill we all need.

I joined Twitter late last year, and there is a lot of name calling that goes on there. Ad hominem attacks, where the person is insulted rather than their behaviour or views critiqued, has become the standard.

If you choose to work in politics, you need to work with those with whom you don’t agree, and you’ll need to get people who disagree with you on board. Maybe that’s to vote for you, maybe that’s to work with you on a local or national campaign, or maybe it’s to get your policy into legislation. 

But, if calling people out and focussing on excluding them from what you’re doing is your go-to approach, politics is going to be a very difficult place for you.

Interested in political life?

Don’t feel you have to decide now. Politics isn’t a traditional career path. It’s always there. There’s always something you’re interested in doing that is related to something political.

Politics can be local, they can be national, they can be international.

You can be elected into office. You can campaign.

You can sign a petition. You can raise funds for other people who are doing work you support.

You can vote – you should vote. You must vote. Women literally died for that right, and voting is not just a right in my view, it’s an obligation.

Politics is this big, messy, wonderful world where anything you are interested in can find its place. You can dip in and out. You can plan for a long term political career. You can be a local councillor. You can be a brilliant civil servant, outstaying all the politicians. You can be the mayor. You can be the person who helps someone else become the mayor.

The path to power is not an easy one, but we need more women to take it.

Success in politics needs you to build your resilience. I don’t want to be one of those women who tell you to #LeanIn, as if that can solve the sexism of society on your own – I absolutely don’t believe that. But, a number of experienced politicians have told me that it will take a long time for Parliament to stop being so sexist and toxic.

They also told me that the way Parliament is going to change is by getting more women in.

So we need women to get involved, to be ready to address the problems within Parliament, but also to have resilience and networks of support to get through it.

Parliament, and indeed local politics – is still horrifically sexist. When we talk about safe spaces, it’s been made very clear to me that these do not exist in Parliament or local councils.

Abuse of women – online and in person – is endemic in politics. Campaigning for election alone is challenging. Women are subjected to far more abuse than men. If you’re a woman of colour or are from another underrepresented group, it’s even worse.

Even my own path has had its challenges.

I’ve been the only woman in the room more times than I can count.

I’ve been talked over, spoken down to, screamed at, insulted, had my motives questioned when I’ve stood up for women and for equality more broadly.

I’ve been called bossy, aggressive, defensive, been told to smile more, to agree more, I’ve been criticised for my tone.

I’ve experienced extensive maternity discrimination – when I got engaged, when I was pregnant, when I had young children – even when I just looked around about the right age to have children. 

I have felt terribly, terribly alone.

So one piece of advice I would give is to find support. We all need support in navigating politics – from campaigning to the skills needed to succeed in an elected role. 

For women to come into politics takes great bravery and resilience. But, the change that can be made by having more women in politics is essential.

You need networks of support – men and women, old and young, people who share your political views, and people who don’t but who understand your journey. People who will have your back. People who will build you up when politics seems to unsafe to continue. People who will help you focus on the change you’re trying to make. People who will give you advice based on their own, relevant experiences.

So try to build alliances. Get support. Be brave. Do your best to build resilience.

Find people who will support you when you’re not feeling brave.

Keep your eye on the prize, and don’t worry if you can’t bring everyone along with you.

Good luck.