63 Magazine - Issue 4
63 Magazine, for progressive political organizers. Issue 4 is all about Leadership, featuring Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
63 Magazine, for progressive political organizers. Issue 4 is all about Leadership, featuring Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
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I just got assigned a deputy organizer to<br />
help in my turf. Any advice on quickly<br />
getting our relationship strong and<br />
making sure I’m managing him well?<br />
SN: The first way to make sure you have a<br />
strong relationship with a direct report<br />
is to show them you care about them and<br />
want to know what motivates them.<br />
I know it seems like you have a lot going<br />
on, but you should absolutely take half an<br />
hour to get to know them and why they<br />
joined up over coffee. An investment now<br />
will pay dividends when you have them<br />
running their own staging location.<br />
In terms of management, you should ask<br />
them what sort of management<br />
style they prefer and be sure to be<br />
responsive to their needs; e.g., do<br />
they like to communicate via email,<br />
text, or phone? Whatever they say<br />
will be the quickest way to make<br />
sure you are getting the reports you<br />
need or that they are delivering<br />
water to the right canvass kickoff.<br />
And make sure to check in with them<br />
one-on-one at least once a week!<br />
I’m definitely staying focused on the<br />
work in front of me, but I can’t help but<br />
think about November 9th. Is there<br />
anything I can do now to prepare myself<br />
for opportunities after election day?<br />
SN: Yes, think about tomorrow and this<br />
week’s goals. Then, next week’s.<br />
Then, the week after that.<br />
You are in a strong network of people on<br />
your campaign now. Those people want<br />
to see you succeed, and want to succeed<br />
themselves, but all of you are resultsdriven.<br />
The best thing you can do for your<br />
future is to get a reputation as a hustler,<br />
and the way to do that is to hustle.<br />
People will take notice, and it will help<br />
you after November 9th. Plus, it will<br />
help you for November 8th too.<br />
My turf is tougher than a lot of other<br />
areas in my region. It’s hard not to<br />
get frustrated when I have to claw<br />
out every volunteer and others get<br />
walk-ins all the time. Any advice on<br />
how to stop being discouraged?<br />
SN: I can tell you’re the competitive type.<br />
Two things here:<br />
1) Compete with yourself by setting<br />
standards or goals against your previous<br />
weeks. No reason to look across turf lines.
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