Part II The Most Important Thing You Can Do

How To Get Politically Connected

Let me begin by saying how grateful I am that my last article got views; I was sincerely touched. Let me also start by stating that many of my discussions are loosely based on my experiences, with many of the specifics and protocols modified to shield anyone that might be assumed, while it is 100% impossible, they could be related…

In the last article, I discussed the importance of getting politically connected and gave a few reasons why. To summarize, the reason to get politically connected is to ensure the best intent of community business practices and standards.

According to Professor of Social Work, Alexander Rudolph, the history of policy analysis shows governments err on the side of the government. This may mean that policies published or promulgated may put you as a stakeholder (your business, employees, and community), at a disadvantage. I cannot stress enough: Best business practice requires participation in the community, knowledge sharing with those in decision-making processes, and/or participation in decision-making processes.

So…how does one get politically connected? Some ideas may be to run for office, establish yourself as a field expert and testify at the state legislature (which often times leads to work groups), join prominent associations in your field and attend association meetings regularly, etc., as examples…though...that’s not quite what I did…

The one sure way to get connected: work for free. That’s right!; civic activities do not pay well, if they pay at all. One of the best ways to get involved is to volunteer where there are government appointment vacancies. This opportunity allows the individual to kill two birds with one stone; as an example, serving on a board to share knowledge, and giving back to the community.

At one of my volunteer activities, I befriended a legislator, who informed me of vacancies on boards and how to obtain them. I discovered seats on various boards, such as school boards, licensing boards, etc., were posted to the public. Upon further investigation, I also found that a simple letter to the governor, and the completion of some standard paperwork, was the legal minimum to get a nomination.

Generally, in my state, gubernatorial nominations to specific boards trigger a joint legislative committee confirmation hearing. After the hearing, the full legislature approves or confirms the board member, usually with little attention; however, some nominations can trigger media attention, such as an appointment to a prominent university board of trustees or the governor’s cabinet. I downloaded these vacant positions from the Secretary of State’s website, gathered my recommendation letters, and started the process.

In my case, my first appointment was to a state education system school board for those with deafness and hearing loss. I was paid with a small legislative per diem rate, which did not cover my countless hours of work; I was not only on the board, but also sat on most of the committees (executive, policy, finance, facilities, etc.). Many prominent people served over the years, and I thoroughly enjoyed their life lessons shared. One person, in particular, Francis, was the first female city counselor in her city, worked for one of our state's most respected governors, and led our ad hoc legislative committee. I really enjoyed talking with her...she held me captive with her gold nuggets of legislative and gubernatorial history.

I was later elected board chair, which put me in direct contact with the public, and the legislative committee, on a regular basis. What a value...a person from the community giving input on public policy?! Though I enjoyed the work, I was not personally from the community, which made representing awkward at times. Part of being a good leader, I think, is knowing when to move on. At the same time, I found a new interest in teaching and writing, and decided, after about eight years of service, to shift my focus toward that instead…

Which brings me to my next discussion...why are systems built, and when they’re not working well, the CEOs are blamed? Stay tuned for my next post, ‘The CEO Shit Umbrella’ which discusses CEOs as systems managers and shit deflectors.

To learn more about my activities, go to www.prepgroup.info. Thank you!??????????