SHOULD YOU RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE? | Knowing your political competence

Do you know your political competence before deciding to run for public office or launching your campaign? Do you even know what political competence is? Do you have a solid power base of support? Do you understand the complexities of negotiations?

According to Professor Samuel Bacharach of Cornell University. Political competence is an out-in-the-open process of methodically mapping the political terrain, building coalitions, and leading them to get your idea or campaign adopted by the voters. It’s the ability to be the ultimate manager. Are you able to manage a host of bosses’ constituencies simultaneously from a corporate or political perspective?

Both political and corporate campaigns have constituencies that you have to factor in. Corporate campaigns have constituencies: bosses, underlings, customers, suppliers, unions, etc. Then political campaigns have their constituencies: voters, campaign staffers, fundraisers, endorsers, associations, etc. The difference is trying to get cooperation from different constituencies is an infinitely more difficult task than milking your business for money.

You have to understand political competence before you can run for office, better yet, you have to understand your level of political competence. Are you a relatable candidate that has something to offer your community? Does your campaign have a real message for your state?

Does your business properly reflect the values of its surrounding community to maximize customer satisfaction with profits?

So if you know how to build coalitions and properly network the media and political climate of today, you should seriously run for office. If you are unsure of this and don’t know the basics, then for more tips, click here.