To me, effective political leadership is anything that bands people together in a common cause. The more devoted people are the more effective the leadership is. There are many different ways to achieve this effect and no method is inherently better than others.
Bring this all around to jobs brings up an interesting point. Someone who wants to change careers but isn’t sure what to could do very well in politics. While these days the money required for politics is well out of the budget of most ordinary people, politicians are increasingly relying on crowd funding and the popularity of their personality.
Having a successful political career is not necessary, either. There are many politicians who use their platform to sell books after running unsuccessful campaigns. And that would help get that “bucket-list” achievement done, too. Win-win!
This blog article is a branch out to life-optimizing readers like yourself that were kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I’m still working on my interview skills (and some of these were done via email/not-in-person!), but I do promise good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which doesn’t happen often).
Topic of Interest: Effective Political Leadership
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
R: Give an example of effective political leadership being used that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: I do not know a lot about Governor Christie from New Jersey, but I have been watching him as he responds to the Sandy Hurricane disaster. I really like how he has no fear and does what he thinks is right no matter what. He does not back down to anyone and says what he thinks. He complimented President Obama for his quick response to the disaster, and since he is a republican, that was frowned on. He didn’t care. He said he was impressed, and is impressed. He said this was not a political issue, it was a disaster and Obama had helped him, and his state. I think being a leader, especially a political leader; one has to respect both sides of the issue. I think that Governor Christie has done a good job of showing people that he can get things done, done right, and done right with or without his parties accolades.
R: How do you think a better understanding of effective political leadership would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: Politics are an important part of life. Politics are everywhere. Office politics are like governing politics in the sense that there are generally opposing views, compromise, and of course stubborn attitudes. It is helpful to understand political strategies when dealing with office politics so that you can apply the same concepts.
R: Give an example of how effective political leadership has helped you professionally or personally.
I: Political leadership aids me professionally as the impact of political leaders determines the job atmosphere. Things like taxes and unemployment are based on the decisions of political leaders. When they are effective times are usually good. When they are ineffective then professionally times are bad.
R: Describe at least one way you think effective political leadership could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: Political leadership could hurt someone’s personal life if these politicians have stances that are against a certain person. For example, if a politician is against gay marriage and they effectively lead a political group, they may be able to pass laws that ban gay marriage. If the politician had this stance, it could also effect a person’s professional life by limiting their partner’s ability to receive health care or other benefits.
R: Give an example of how effective political leadership has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: The entire right wing anti-everything circle-jerk has hurt us all. Women’s rights, LGBT community, and social program cuts are all huge talking points always touted by right wing politicians. Most people will believe any crap you slap together and put on the news. They take everything at face value and then regurgitate at the next possible chance.
R: How do you think effective political leadership could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: Politics is all about dealing with people and making things happen. This could help me in a professional setting because I would be better skilled at motivating people and getting them on board with what I wanted. Once I had greater numbers backing what I wanted there is a higher likelihood I could make it happen.
R: Give an example of how effective political leadership could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: You can use it to your advantage for getting a higher position. The more power and leadership, people will listen to you and you can get what you want. Power is money and everything in between!
R: How do you think effective political leadership could help you at home? Why is that?
I: Political leadership means that there is a cohesiveness in the family unit. If the goal is to save money for a vacation, then the family unit can act as a politician would and seek ways to raise money for the venture. There could be bake sales and garage sales all geared to a common good. The common good would not be an election but will be to go on a vacation by working together as a political party trying to win an election.
R: Give an example of how effective political leadership could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: Often times the goals of people in someone’s family are similar but separate from your own. In order to help everyone achieve these goals, sometimes compromise must be made. Budgeting is just as important to a family as it is to a town, a state or a nation.
R: How do you think effective political leadership could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: Political leadership means to adhere to a set of ideas. In a personal relationship the idea is to stay connected in a compatible friendship based on it the union is casual or serious. Adhering to what the other partner needs to keep the relationship running smoothly is what constitutes the comparison with political parties. There is a difference in the major political parties and the constituents views on the issues are the same. Therefore, if the views on the relationship is to keep it thriving, then most likely the political leadership would have helped the couple to stay connected.
R: Give an example of how effective political leadership could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: Two words: marriage equality. There is no reason, in my opinion, marriage (as recognized by the state) should not be extended to gay couples. This is a change that should be rippling throughout the country and in order for that to happen we will need effective political leaders who push for those changes state by state.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about effective political leadership.
I: I would like to learn persuasive speech. It is important to persuade people to think like you. It would be good to know as a leader.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about effective political leadership.
I: To learn more about political leadership, one should visit Congress experience how both the House of Representatives and the Senate work together. There is nothing quite as effective as on the job training or being where the political leadership is taking place. The schools usually have trips to the White House and one should participate if such an excursion is available.
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How was that for a nice little journey into this topic? I hope you enjoyed this interview and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life. Yes, homework is never seen as a nice word, but it’s useful – give yourself an action to use at least 1 thing from this article to help change your life.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?