Are the attributes of the politician and policy maker compatible?
A winning politician must be an effective salesman. His most vital asset is the ability to communicate. He displays humility and is non-threatening and approachable, while conveying confidence and competence, but never arrogance. He talks in clean, tight, and persuasive sound bites. A star politician is as good at listening as he is at talking and has the uncanny ability to connect with people on a deeply visceral level. A high pain tolerance level and thick skin are compulsory for any successful politician. Being target practice for personal attack, innuendo, gossip, and lies is a fact of life.
Once a policy maker, he must absorb reams of data that requires study, analysis and reflection. His perspective is necessarily broad-gauged. He must understand the complex interplay between public administration and its myriad actors locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. He needs to have a level of self-awareness and confidence that allows him to acknowledge what he doesn't know and solicit input from others who do. His vision is long term, not short term.
While he comes to the role with a value system and world view based on his knowledge and life experience, he is not blinded by ideology and prejudice. He is willing to be convinced that his views are wrong especially when confronted with uncomfortable facts and truths, and does not hesitate to adjust his course accordingly. An effective policymaker is a leader that possesses superior judgment, a solid inner compass, a sense of strategy, is cool and firm under pressure, and delights in making tough decisions. He has the ability to educate, persuade, and build consensus for action.
If this sounds like a tall order, it's because it is. Business, academe, the non-governmental sector, and senior public service are full of people like this. But it is a rare thing indeed to find them in the political realm. However, they do exist. A few come to mind such as John Manley, Bob Rae, Brian Tobin, Frank McKenna, Gary Doer, Paul Martin, and Jim Prentice.
Full Article
Source: Huffington Post
A winning politician must be an effective salesman. His most vital asset is the ability to communicate. He displays humility and is non-threatening and approachable, while conveying confidence and competence, but never arrogance. He talks in clean, tight, and persuasive sound bites. A star politician is as good at listening as he is at talking and has the uncanny ability to connect with people on a deeply visceral level. A high pain tolerance level and thick skin are compulsory for any successful politician. Being target practice for personal attack, innuendo, gossip, and lies is a fact of life.
Once a policy maker, he must absorb reams of data that requires study, analysis and reflection. His perspective is necessarily broad-gauged. He must understand the complex interplay between public administration and its myriad actors locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. He needs to have a level of self-awareness and confidence that allows him to acknowledge what he doesn't know and solicit input from others who do. His vision is long term, not short term.
While he comes to the role with a value system and world view based on his knowledge and life experience, he is not blinded by ideology and prejudice. He is willing to be convinced that his views are wrong especially when confronted with uncomfortable facts and truths, and does not hesitate to adjust his course accordingly. An effective policymaker is a leader that possesses superior judgment, a solid inner compass, a sense of strategy, is cool and firm under pressure, and delights in making tough decisions. He has the ability to educate, persuade, and build consensus for action.
If this sounds like a tall order, it's because it is. Business, academe, the non-governmental sector, and senior public service are full of people like this. But it is a rare thing indeed to find them in the political realm. However, they do exist. A few come to mind such as John Manley, Bob Rae, Brian Tobin, Frank McKenna, Gary Doer, Paul Martin, and Jim Prentice.
Full Article
Source: Huffington Post
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