Why I left my political career
Earlier in the week, I talked about the surge in twenty-somethings’ political interest and discussed the things I gained from my career in politics. To recap, I spent two years doing grassroots organizing and fundraising and compliance consulting all over North Carolina through local organizations, 10 political committees, and 85 candidates.
It was a truly rewarding experience, but late last year, I decided to make a career shift and return to non-profit fundraising. Here are the challenges I faced that ultimately led to me leaving my political career:
Ageism. During my first week on the job, a workplace bully began attacking me and a few older activists yelled at my bosses for “hiring a kid.” I smoothed these issues over by standing up to the bully and by winning over the vocal critics through relationship building, but I still had to regularly confront subtle criticism about my age from older activists.
My bosses would sometimes throw me menial tasks — making copies, assembling notebooks, proofreading memos, entering data, moving furniture, and taking out the trash (yes, the trash) — because I was young. Luckily, it was only a small percentage of my work — most my cohorts were in completely clerical jobs — but it was still tough.
But the most annoying aspect of political ageism is when clients and candidates didn’t listen to me. I tried to consult a political organization through a much-needed reorganization of their governance and financial structures, but the organization’s leader dismissed my carefully researched advice because “that kid can’t possibly know what he’s talking about.” Two years after my recommendations were ignored, the organization is now facing a leadership crisis in which two people claim to be president, membership has plummeted, and their finances have been depleted due to frivolous spending. If only they had listened!
Rankism. I had to endure rude treatment from people who looked down on me because I wasn’t a senior staffer. Some political candidates who paid for and benefited from my consulting would not return my phone calls and would only speak to senior staffers, and a state-wide civil rights leader abruptly ended a phone conversation with me because he “doesn’t have time for peons.”
Lack of work/life balance. When I moved to fundraising and compliance consulting, my boss put 18-20 things on my project list to juggle at any given time, and I regularly pulled 12-15 hour days. My commute was 35 minutes each way, and I had to travel across the state many evenings to meet with clients. Add weekend events at least twice each month, and you have the perfect recipe for burnout. This is probably one of the most common complaints about political work.
Low pay. Most young political staffers don’t get paid much at all. I knew several twenty-somethings who worked full-time for less than $30,000 without any benefits. I fared significantly better in pay and benefits, but I still had trouble paying all of my bills while creating emergency savings. And it was laughable to even think of saving for retirement or investing.
“Loss of voice.” Taking a political job usually means the end of expressing one’s own opinion publicly. Blogs must be taken down, social networking pages have to be cleaned up significantly, and no staff can talk with the press unless authorized to give a statement. And anything you say publicly must go along with your bosses and clients’ stances.
I had to bite my tongue regularly and not say a word when things happened that I didn’t agree with from policy decisions to statements, from workplace issues to my bosses’ actions. Heck, I even had to work for candidates whose ideals and voting records made me cringe, but I couldn’t say a word about it.
And finally, I left politics because race matters. Black and latino political staffers are often confined to grassroots organizing and GOTV jobs throughout their careers, and the senior level jobs are almost always out of reach. There are only a handful of minority political executives, lobbyists, and fundraisers across the nation and only one national black pollster. There are even fewer black candidates who run competitive, party-supported campaigns in districts that aren’t majority minority as dictated by the Voting Rights Act.
The few minority political staffers have to walk a thin tight-rope similar to Barack Obama’s struggle with race. I felt racial discrimination from a handful of the more closed-minded people I encountered, and my bosses expected me to connect heavily with the black community and “be black” at work. At the same time, some black activists vocally questioned if I was authentically black because I didn’t graduate from a historically black college, I date a white woman, and I practice progressive politics.
Although I have been fighting it all of my life, I detest “black enough” racial politics and refuse to play those petulant games. I had to find a job in which my race is deemed completely unimportant to the quality of my work.
So yes, political work is challenging. I still stand behind the things I gained from this work. It has helped me tremendously and has given me the best gift I could have received — thick skin.
But when people ask me about my career in politics, there’s only one quote that can accurately describe how I feel: “I’m glad I did it, partly because I enjoyed it, but mostly because I’ll never have to do it again” (Mark Twain).
Fast Company says my boss is like a monkey, a dog… maybe even a steer
Quick post, but my friend Kerra told me to pick up the current Fast Company magazine, which features a great article on how we can manage our bosses to get the desired working relationship.
Bosses are tough. I’ve worked for yellers, bullies, silent types, huggers, mentors, and complete goof-offs. Right now, I now face the extraordinary rewards and challenges — mostly rewards, in case Dan is reading (haha) — of working for one of my best friends. No matter how great the boss, though, we’ve all been in situations where we’re not entirely happy with how our boss treats us and wish we could change it.
According to Fast Company, we can change our boss’ behavior by doing one thing: treat them like animals.
Dan and Chip Heath propose that we use the techniques of exotic animal trainers to manage our bosses and create the work environment we need. They suggest that we ignore bad behavior, reward good behavior, and stay consistent.
It makes sense to me. I don’t have any experience with exotic animals, but I grew up with pets (three dogs, a flock of ducks, a cockatoo, rabbit, cat, and even a show steer — yes a cow), and the techniques they recommend were the only way we could get the animals to do anything.
At work, it makes sense especially because many of the supervisors we encounter are continually learning how to manage and lead while facing pressure and deadlines from their bosses. We have to make sure their learning process includes how to deal with us in order to keep us happy and get top results.
So the next time my boss does something I don’t like, I’ll try to think of him like Mooey, my old show steer. By ignoring bad behavior, rewarding the good, and staying consistent, it should work. But be careful, even the most carefully trained animals can unexpectedly cause serious harm.
From margaritas to Quadrant II: My time management lesson
Many apologies for not posting for a week, but the past week has been pretty stressful with crunch time coming strong at work. I’ve got a 63,000-piece mailer dropping next week, and our major gift campaign goes public on April 29. Running back and forth with all the tasks at hand sent my stress levels to a high that could only be mitigated by Margarita Thursday at the local Mexican diner.
My boss — a good friend and mentor — noticed my stress and challenged me to move from being reactive to the admittedly crazy workload to calmly concentrating on our priorities. I noodled on his advice over the weekend, and checked out some information one of our trustees passed along a few months ago — Covey’s four quadrant time management system.
It seemed a little hokey at first, but Stephen Covey’s matrix system has given me plenty of insight on how I can be more effective and drastically decrease stress.
Quadrant I contains things that are both urgent and important, akin to firefighting or triage work. Life naturally puts us in this quadrant from time to time because stuff happens and we have to respond to it. However, we often send things into crisis mode because of procrastination and lack of planning. Spending too much time here will lead to stress and burnout, which I definitely experienced at a previous job whose culture was deeply rooted in Q1.
Quadrant II is where we need to be; it contains things that are important, but not urgent. Tasks can be scheduled when you can give quality thought to them. Quadrant II is where we do longrange planning, anticipate and prevent problems, empower others, and increase skills through personal development. Ignoring this Quadrant enlarges Quadrant I, creating stress, burnout and deeper crises.
Good examples of Quadrant II tasks include preparing for an important meeting, building relationships with coworkers and mentors, family time, meaningful personal time, and exercise.
Quadrant III activities are masked distractions. They must be dealt with right now, but frankly, are not important. People in this quadrant react to things that are urgent assuming they are also important. Often the urgency of these matters is based on
the priorities and expectations of other people, and operating here produces a shortterm focus, broken relationships and a loss of control.
The final quadrant, Quadrant IV, includes things which are neither urgent nor important — pure wastes of time. Some meetings could fall into this category - they’ve been scheduled in advance, but if they achieve nothing, or you don’t contribute to them, then they have simply wasted time. Some of my examples include commuting (I traveled 35 minutes each way in my last two jobs), reading the latest political news and gossip, and most YouTube adventures.
After such a stressed-out week, I’m making it a goal to shift my work and home time to Quadrant II and do as Covey advises: define my personal and professional priorities then organize and execute around them.
At work, those priorities are our major gifts and direct mail programs. On the personal front, it’s reading and blogging, spending time with my girlfriend and best friends, meeting new friends in Durham, and getting in better shape.
Each week, I’ll be revisiting my priorities and scheduling tasks to make progress on them. I can already notice a huge difference in my productivity, and I think I’ll not need a margarita to calm stress for a while. This Thursday, they’ll be just for fun (haha).
I borrowed the image from The Quixotic Hierophant . For more information on Covey’s “First Things First” model, check out this 1994 essay on his website.
Four tips for twenty-somethings to navigate the generation gap at work
I ran across this Chronicle of Philanthropy article, which discusses generation gap challenges in the non-profit workplace. As someone who has been the youngest person in every organization I’ve worked with, I can fully understand the challenges of balancing that gap.
The article reminded me of In Good Company, a 2004 film in which Topher Grace plays Carter Duryea, a naive, know-it-all twenty-something who flails in a job managing people twice his age.
In Good Company is one of my favorite movies (well worth renting or buying), and if you pay attention to the things Carter did wrong, you can learn some great lessons on how twenty-somethings can effectively handle being the NKOTB (New Kid on the Block) and use it to advance one’s career:
Enter with humility. From day one, be respectful and mannerable to all employees, no matter their rank or age and go out of your way to be nice to people. I carve time out of my day to have a conversation with each of my coworkers, and everyone in the office hears my Southern “How yall doing?” spoken to everyone I pass in our building. This shatters the stereotype of the young know-it-all punk and sets the tone for open conversation and friendships.
Build relationships with the veterans. When I took my first political job, I befriended the woman whose office was next door. She was the longest-serving employee, having served at least 7 years more than both the CEO and CFO, and had the largest state-wide network of anyone there. She not only gave me great insight into the business, but she also became my mentor, giving me valuable career and personal advice, standing up for me when a bully attacked, and giving me references. Although I moved on from that job, she and I still keep in touch.
Seek institutional knowledge. Ask the people who have been at your organization for a while to give you context on the organization’s history and current problems. Not only will you better understand the issues facing the organization, you’ll almost always learn some lessons and potential pitfalls you wouldn’t otherwise see. Plus, it helps with relationship building.
Be helpful outside of your job responsibilities. You can easily win friends and influence your older coworkers by being of service to them. At one job, the staff was responsible for taking the trash outside to the curb three times a week, and I volunteered to lead trash duty each week. At my current job, one other coworker (who is 25 and really cool) and I have helped teach MS Excel and Publisher to veterans without much computer experience. It continues relationship building and developing an office brand of being helpful and a team player.
These tips have helped me navigate the generation gap in my career, and I hope it can help someone avoid making Carter Duryea’s mistakes.
Political job posting in NC
Some former coworkers passed this along to me:
The Obama campaign is looking to hire North Carolina Field Organizers to come be a part of history.
Field Organizers will be responsible for:
- Helping to register new voters and lead a statewide voter registration drive
- Recruiting and managing a team of volunteers to assist identifying Obama supporters
- Helping organize meetings and events within different constituency groups in your area
- Organize and execute an early vote program
- Helping prepare and run a GOTV (Get Out the Vote) program in your area in the week leading up to the May 6th North Carolina primary
Requirements:
- Previous campaign experience is a plus but not required
- Willingness to work long hours and seven days a week
- Must be able to provide your own transportation
Interested parties should e-mail ncobamajobs@gmail.com.
Expand volunteer roles to gain experience in your field
For twenty-somethings, volunteering has long been a part of our lives. Our parents made us volunteer as kids, our high schools required it, and we needed it for college admissions and resumes post-undergrad. We built Habitat houses, volunteered in soup kitchens, mentored kids, worked in group homes, and all kinds of things that help our community.
Continuing our volunteer work is important to personal growth, but expanding our roles as volunteers can give us a professional boost. We should considering joining boards and committees for non-profit organizations they believe in — and taking leadership roles in them.
Joining non-profit boards and committees and providing pro-bono services to organizations give great experience and learning opportunities to young professionals. And twenty-somethings can get involved with local organizations who need our knowledge and skills.
My best friend Josh, a 23-year-old construction executive in South Carolina, recently stepped up as a Trustee of his church, which he’s been a member of his entire life. He’s taken on a heavy role with the church’s finances, learning about non-profit accounting and governance.
Because he’s done a great job as a Trustee, he’s been asked to lead the church’s capital campaign to build a new sanctuary. He asked me to volunteer, and I’m trying on a consultant hat for the first time by giving them some fundraising advice as they plan their campaign.
We’ve already prepared a strategy document for the church (attached below), had one excellent meeting with the church’s leadership, and I’ll be working with Josh to train church members, prepare materials, and coach them through the fundraising process.
These experiences will not only accomplish good things for his church, but they’ll give us added experience that will hopefully help us in our careers.
Look at non-profit organizations. At my job, the Ronald McDonald House and Family Room of Durham, volunteers are crucial to our operations and leadership. Volunteers help us provide direct service to the families; advise us on operational, legal, fiscal and strategic moves; and are actively involved in our fundraising and special events. We have several young professionals, including two Duke MBA students, on our Board of Trustees and committees.
Political committees need volunteer leaders. When I worked in politics, volunteers were key to fundraising, get out the vote (GOTV), and events. Political experience is applicable to many careers, especially fundraising.
Also, public boards and commissions are always looking for young people to serve. A college friend of mine with an interest in city planning was the only person under 30 who applied to serve on the Town of Chapel Hill’s Transportation Board, and he had a very successful term.
So get involved! No matter your field, I bet there is an organization in your area who could use your help. You’re doing great work, and it gives you valuable experience that could be helpful in future career endeavors.
Beware of workplace bullies, especially if you’re a twenty-something
An article and blog post in yesterday’s NY Times health section brought up a topic that hit close to home: workplace bullying.
Young professionals should be very aware of these workplace problems because our age and eagerness can make us easy targets, and 37 percent of American workers have reported being bullied. I incurred the wrath of a bully for seven months in a previous job, and it took an extreme emotional toll.
Although it was a difficult time for me, I think I handled the situation well, and I’ll offer some tips on dealing with a workplace bully through telling my story. I was hired to work for a large organization, and three other staffers and I were placed under the immediate supervision of a difficult person.
Recognize the early warning signs. On my first day, my supervisor criticized the CEO for hiring me because of my age – “I don’t know why they hired an over-glorified intern who doesn’t know anything,” she said – and made a highly racist remark about me and my family. I knew then that a long battle was ahead. Within the first month, the supervisor demanded total control of my schedule and workload and took credit for all of my work.
Document inappropriate behavior. When I first went to complain to the HR department, it was dismissed as a personality conflict, and as a young professional, I was told that I “had to learn to get along with different people and respect my supervisor.”
Simply put, they didn’t believe me because I was young, and I learned that I had to provide proof of the problem. I began to keep a special “crazy” journal – locked away in a hidden folder on my jump drive – that detailed line-crossing behavior by the bully. It grew to five single-spaced pages.
Stay cool. No matter what my bullying supervisor said, I stayed calm and refused to raise my voice. I would disagree and express my objection to personal and inappropriate attacks, but I almost always did it calmly, regardless of her bellicose nature. I knew that if I stooped to her level, I ran the risk of being protrayed as the young trouble-maker in the office, helping her plan.
Find mentors in the organization. As Penelope Trunk says, mentors are important. I began to reach out to the CEO, CFO and other senior staffers, asking them to get lunch with me periodically and give me advice on how to be successful in my job. I was never negative about the bullying supervisor, but I shared the progress on my projects and clients. They soon began to understand my workload and contribution to the organization, and we developed relationships and trust.
Stand up for yourself. The attacks from the bully continued. For a while, I internalized it all, taking a toll on my home life. That changed one day when the bully belligerently yelled at me in front of other staffers. It was a deeply personal tirade that included some racist words, fingers in my face, chasing me down a hallway, job threats, and the parting words “you sorry SOB.” The embarrassment of being berated in front of colleagues in such a manner was the last straw.
The next day, I filed a hostile work environment complaint, gave the CEO a copy of my “crazy” journal, and said that I was prepared to leave the organization if the inappropriate behavior continued. The CEO realized that it was a grave situation and the documentation made it real. My job structure was changed so that I reported directly to the CEO and the supervisor was put on probation. The documentation and mentoring paid off because I stood up for myself.
Find allies among your coworkers. I made a point of building relationship with my other coworkers, who defended me against the bully’s gossip and talked favorably about me to the senior staff. Finding allies also uncovered fellow victims. One of the other twenty-somethings who reported to the bully finally confessed that she was the victim of similar attacks.
Do a good job. I knew that professional failures would only give the bully substantive fodder to attack. Once the senior staff knew what I was working on and once I reported directly to the CEO, I began to excel in the job. In fact, one of my clients presented me with an award at their annual gala. Plus, I got a glowing performance review from the senior staff.
The bully didn’t fare as well. The mounting complaints and lack of performance gave the senior staff no choice but to fire her seven months after her start date.
Consider finding a better situation. I outlasted the bully and enjoyed a lot of success after steps were taken to alleviate the situation. However, things don’t change for all people. If you’re stuck in a similar situation and things don’t change after frequent tactics or complaints, you should definitely consider looking for a better opportunity.
There’s plenty of stuff on the net about workplace bullying that can be found by simply using Google, but be sure the check out this report from the State of Washington and another from Pepperdine University.
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