Effective Service of Elected Officials
Often public perception of elected officials includes ideas about prestige and honor, a person separate from “regular” citizens of a community. In reality, an elected official is a servant to her community, a person selected by her community to serve the people in a specific capacity.
As officials are faced with myriad complaints and challenges, it’s tempting to grease the squeaky wheel. Here are five skills great leaders hone to serve effectively, while separating the real wheat from the emotional tares.
Listen. A politician’s most important role is to listen to constituents. Ironically, many politicians believe they should be the ones speaking. (You’ve heard the most dangerous place to be is between a politician and a microphone?) Good politicians listen far more than they speak. Great politicians include probing questions in their conversations. They take a deep dive into a subject, with the complete understanding that the person they’re talking to may have greater knowledge of the subject than they do. Great politicians have the wisdom and humility to acknowledge others may have insights that can help identify the problem and lead to solutions.
Identify and give voice to problems. When an elected official begins to hear about an issue from many sources, he must identify patterns, taking in the breadth and scope of the problem at hand. If the problem appears to be systemic, a voice should be given to the issue by the elected official. From that capacity, the public servant can open and engage in meaningful conversation on the subject.
Gather information. As the issue is identified, the next step for the elected official is to gather relevant, revealing and significant information. Seeking out data that validates or invalidates the issue from experts, victims, specialists, agencies, books, sites, and injured parties creates the foundation for solutions.
Single out solutions. Through conversations and information gathering, solutions to the problems may become evident. Most often these solutions are not the elected official’s own ideas. She is tasked with listening to many options, weighing out the pros and cons and singling out the best options for the community at the moment while balancing long-term consequences.
Engage in the process. Elected officials on all levels have some kind of process for implementing solutions. State legislators move through the legislative process. Mayors and city council members have actions that move issues through their bodies. Often these processes will change, refine and improve the solution. An effective official maintains engagement throughout the process to ensure accuracy and value.