With the 2024 NSW local government elections just around the
corner, candidates are out on the campaign trail.
Campaigning for civic office is a high energy undertaking
which can throw up unforeseen challenges.
For many passionate first-time
candidates, the combative and competitive nature of local politics can catch
them off-guard and leave candidates questioning their suitability. You may
start to go down an existential rabbit hole - asking yourself questions such as
“Will people like me? Do I know enough? How will I cope?”.
Whilst these types of thoughts are normal, getting stuck on
them can create unhelpful mindsets that will undermine your success. This article provides strategies to bolster your
resilience and support you to survive and thrive during the campaign.
Being in competition with others can be uncomfortable for some people. Outside of competitive sports, we are rarely exposed to competing with others in the public arena. And so, putting yourself out there to “win” a seat at the table can be a daunting prospect.
Candidates may find themselves confusing the competitive nature of campaigning with a personality contest, and question whether they are likeable or popular enough. In this sense, being in campaign mode requires you to manage public perception and maintain confidence even when you may not be feeling it.
Building a self-belief mindset
is important to be able to continue to confidently engage in the campaign while
maintaining perspective.
Positive affirmations can be useful to affirm your strengths and
capabilities. You can list past achievements as well as professional and
personal skills that remind you that you are qualified to run for office.
Challenge
negative thoughts. Learn how
to recognise and challenge negative self-talk. Replacing self-doubting thoughts
with new phrases that give you perspective and a more positive approach.
A large part of political
campaigning is letting community members know your agenda and what you stand
for – what issues will you take action on and how will you do that if you are
elected.
You may also find yourself wanting
to discredit other candidates campaign promises or being discredited by them.
Some candidates take a personal approach to discrediting other candidates in
the public arena. This can be hurtful and difficult to process, especially if
it is not your style of politics.
Candidates will often need to
deal with personal attacks both on and offline. This can become overwhelming
and may lead candidates to question if they can cope with the combative nature
of politics.
To bolster against this
challenge, we encourage you to develop a resilience mindset.
Focus on goals
and values: Stay focused on your campaign
goals and the values they stand for. When faced with personal attacks, remind yourself
why you are running for office and how you want to positively impact their
community.
Practice
having difficult conversations: Understand
that in politics, criticism and personal attacks can be inevitable. Practice focusing
on constructive responses (play the ball, not the person) or ignoring
negativity that doesn't contribute to your campaign.
The local government learning
curve is steep! We have seen many a passionate community member put their hand
up to lead and quickly realise they might not know as much as they thought
about local government.
To campaign successfully candidates need to be
across complex and varied issues that will extend beyond their patch of their
local government area. Being able to provide informed answers to public and
media questions is important for credibility – no one wants to be on top 'Mount Stupid'.
To ensure you do know enough and
that you avoid the pitfall of ”Mount Stupid”, a growth mindset is imperative.
Having a growth mindset means being comfortable
with not knowing everything and making an effort to continually learn. Here are two ways to develop a growth mindset:
Seek feedback. Seek feedback from trusted peers, mentors or community members. It can
be particularly helpful to ask for feedback from trusted people who don’t share
your views to gain deeper insight. Constructive feedback can help you identify
areas for improvement and build confidence in your competencies.
Strive for continuous
improvement. Adopt a
mindset of continuous improvement and be flexible and open-minded when faced
with new challenges or information. It is important to frame setbacks as
learning opportunities.
Campaigning for local government
office is likely to be a rewarding but challenging experience. Candidates may
find themselves under-prepared for the combative and competitive nature of
campaigning or discover knowledge gaps that have them questioning their
competency.
To bolster your sustainability
across the campaign period we encourage candidates to adopt these mindsets -
resilience, self-belief, and growth. These mindsets will not only help in managing personal and
external pressures during the campaign but ensure you have something left in
the tank on election day!
