“I Want You to be Wildly Successful”

Has anyone ever told you that?

That statement has been running through my mind the last few days. I heard those words from an organizational leader once as I was entering a new role. Predictably that well chosen phrase fortified me. How freeing to be told, from the opening bell, to pursue change, growth and advancement aggressively?

I’ve written about career transitions a few times recently – spurred on by the success of friends and colleagues who are taking on new challenges and striding into new career territories. I’m deeply proud of them, and I hope they hear those same sentiments on day one.

That goes doubly so for those entering into advocacy roles. You see, I believe in worthy rivals. I want organizations to pursue the very best, most ethical, and committed talent possible in advocacy roles. I believe that level of competition will drive us all to be better day in and day out.

But what about the organizations who can’t afford that too talent? Well that’s why I’m here every week, for free!

Just about a year ago I started toying with the idea behind this blog. I was reading The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek and working to capture the essence of my own just cause. Over the course of August 2020, I came to the realization that we could do something about the state of our public discourse. By demystifying the advocacy and lobbying world, we could empower individuals and groups to genuinely compete and advance more thoughtful dialogue.

Now, nearing the first anniversary of this little community, I find myself committed to your massive success more than ever. I’ve been able to put the words in this blog into action as it’s helped me rethink how I train my own teams. I’ve had the opportunity to share those lessons with other groups as well. And you know what? It feels great.

More than ever, I want you to be wildly successful for your own causes. I want you to have a brilliance in the basics that makes you an agent of change, a force for good. Even when we find ourselves on opposing sides, those skills will drive us all be a little bit better. And that’s worth all the effort of the past year.

So, I’m happy to say it again. I want you to be WILDLY successful. I want your causes and organizations to have a seat at the table. And I hope to play a role in making that possible for you. Just ask me how!