5 Needed Practices of Small Town Political Leaders

My family and I are blessed to live in a small town in the south. Charming, quaint and caring are just a few adjectives that I routinely use to describe my town and its people, but not in recent months—I can’t describe the temperature of my community as anything but uncomfortable… and politics are to blame.

I find myself wanting to “fix” the ugliness that is so easy to spew on keyboards and blasted on social media, the hurt that is sure to follow when friends differ in political viewpoints or candidate choices, and the anxieties of the future when the dust settles.

So, where do we go from here? With other states’ primary elections well underway, unfortunately, my town’s election is weeks away. What do voters and concerned citizens do in the meantime?

Research!

I’ve taken the liberty to do a little research of my own as leadership is my field of choice. With a research library which houses over 50 books about leadership, I often refer to Kouzes and Posner’s (2017) “The Leadership Challenge” for most of my questions regarding the action-oriented leader. Kouzes and Posner posit 5 practices of exemplary leadership as follows:

1. Model the Way. Behavior earns respect. To effectively model the way, leaders must clarify values and set the example for others to follow.
2. Inspire a Shared Vision. Envisioning the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities enlists others to a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations. You can’t command commitment, you have to inspire it.
3. Challenge the Process. The crucible for greatness is the challenge it bears. Search for opportunities by seizing the initiative and by looking outward for innovative ways to improve. Exemplary leaders are always learning from their mistakes and successes by also owning their faults and areas of concern. 
4. Enable Others to Act. Achieving greatness requires a team effort that fosters collaboration by building trust and facilitating relationships while strengthening others by increasing self-determination and developing competence.
5. Encourage the Heart. The most effective leaders show appreciation for others’ contributions and create a culture celebrating the values and victories by creating a spirit of community. 

Everyone has a story to tell, but the truth is that leadership is a set of skills and abilities that are available to anyone who chooses to accept a calling to lead. Lord knows I don’t have the stomach for politics, but applying the five exemplary leadership practices above and core values of honesty, integrity, inspiration, credibility and competence, I have a solid research foundation to base my decision next month.

Not everyone’s leadership style fits in a mold, but I do respect exemplary leaders who are forward-thinking, respectful and inclusive to others, and possess the maturity to foster community.

These are the very reasons we chose to live in our small town and reasons we choose to stay.

*To read more of Sara Jane’s work, visit her author homepage at Army Wife Network