Good M.O.R.N.I.N.G. Staffers!
Politics and policymaking is a very dynamic process. As I have told you in older posts, in politics, there are no dull routines, and every day you have to face significant challenges that come with even more significant responsibilities. In this blog, I will give you a certain set of skills that, if sharpened routinely, will make you more efficient.
Let’s begin with the practice of “connecting the dots.” By this we mean making connections to influence outcomes. Here’s an example, before asking a person to be your date at your high school prom, you asked her friends to say good things about you. You may have influenced someone to help get to know her brother or sister. Did you ask some friends to help you get to know her parents? By gathering relevant information about her and having people she cared about say good things about you, you helped create the desired outcome when you got the nerve to ask. I hope she said yes.
Right now, you might be thinking: “Hey, I have done this before.” If you have, now it’s time to apply it as a business tool. The more you practice it, the more comfortable you will be able to maneuver, connect the dots, and analyze their impacts and consequences. As a staffer doing this frequently will help you develop an ability to predict things as well as to foresee available options. Remember that you are on the front line, and the ability of your policymaker to stay ahead of the curve depends on you. So, you cannot afford to have your politician blindsided or be the last one to know about relevant and critical issues.
According to Webster’s dictionary, habits are a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance. So for this morning routine, I have developed the easiest of acronyms that will keep you connecting dots.
M.O.R.N.I.N.G.
M: Me
This is all about your mental health. As soon as you wake up, take care of yourself. Start with your quiet time and focus on developing and connecting with your Chiragon. Think about who you are, what you do best, areas you can improve, and how you plan on evolving to the next level.
O: Order of Business
Success is a result of long-term planning and daily action. A good organization helps you gain control of your time so you can plan and complete tasks needed to achieve your goals as well as your policymaker’s.
Some tips that can help you daily:
Focus on what’s important: Set daily priorities to meet your goals.
Make lists: Make daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists of essential tasks. Review your daily priorities at the beginning of each day.
Manage your time well: Schedule quiet time at work to accomplish tasks that need extra concentration. Do your most challenging work when your energy is at its highest; save less demanding work for other times.
Use calendars and planners: Check your work calendar to review your activities and avoid conflicts. Write down all commitments in pencil rather than trusting your memory. Use planning and scheduling forms and software to help you map out long-term projects.
R: Relate
Every action taken should relate to a subsequent one designed to connect dots for your policymaker. You are the enabler who’s planned events must yield relative gains. As a staffer, you will orchestrate the timing for these actions to create the desired result. Understand the possible outcomes of every step. Want to know what works for me? I always try to consider all preferred outcomes of a particular action first and then analyze the negative possibilities. With practice, you will be able to develop a system of running scenarios by yourself or with colleagues.
N: News
As you know, the world itself can change in the blink of an eye. So do headlines. As a staffer, you must establish a system that informs you of events in real-time. The real magic lies in hearing about things before it becomes news. This will give you and your policymaker a significant advantage over others. Just make sure you double-check your stories. Make sure you get the full picture to create a balance so you can understand the issues from multiple angles.
Helpful resources that keep you updated: Blogs, Podcasts, Youtube channels, T.V., and Social media.
I: Intelligence
In the Business of Politics, you will establish a network of sources that, from time to time, share information with you. This can be anyone, staffers, reporters, powerbrokers, and the business community. It is vital that you continuously contact your sources for two main reasons: first, both will feed each other with helpful information. Second, you will develop a loyal and worthy relationship with someone inside your industry. He/she might be a useful intel resource over time. Remember to contact them regularly and keep your relationship professional, but don’t give them the idea that you only contact them when in need. Call to wish them a happy birthday also!
N: Nomination
Nominating others for key appointments is an underutilized tool. Understanding and working with the appointee process to keyboards or positions must not be overlooked. The more allies you can help place in key positions, the higher your influence, and job security. Consistently recruit talent in crucial areas of concern to your policymaker, or you can even have your policymaker create a task force or special committee to address growing concerns.
G: Guide
You were hired to guide every step of the day to meet any challenge or to seize on opportunities.
For this M.O.R.N.I.N.G. set of habits to show results, you must be consistent. This will add tools to your universe that can be used at crucial and vital stages to benefit your policymaker. This guide will help you and your policymaker move forward in the right direction.