THE TRUTH AND TRUST BAROMETER FOR
THE POLITICAL DIRECTORATE AND
ASPIRING POLITICIANS
When an individual chooses to enter the political arena, it should be preceded by serious soul searching about the gravity of such an important decision. He/she should
ask himself the same seven C’s questions required of an Authentic Leader as follows;-
YOUR TRUTH/ TRUST GRID
YES NO %
¬ Do I have CHARACTER?
¬ Do I have COURAGE of conviction?
¬ Do I have COMPASSION?
¬ Do I have COMMITMENT?
¬ Do I Have the COMPETENCE?
¬ Do I have CONFIDENCE?
¬ Do I have a CORRUPTIBLE disposition?
Once these questions would have been answered, the next step is to test his score on the “Truth and Trust Grid” above to see how he measures up. A rule of thumb is that he should score a minimum of five of the seven C’s, but character must show as a positive and corruptible disposition as a negative on all qualifying scores. A good score is 75%.
If you fail, keep trying to build on your personal flaws or try another arena.
A Common Mistake
Many political aspirants make the common mistake that they have to be in frontline politics – Parliament or the Senate to be successful in making a difference in their community. The fact is that one can be a politician or a mover and shaker from any platform, including one’s own profession, civil groups or social groups. The options are many and varied!
However, if one aspires to be in the legislative arena (i.e. Parliament or the Senate) the common mistake he should avoid is to think he can build the trust of voters by selling them false hope, false goods and false expectations in order to be elected.
This is where the trust factor is so important, because many of these aspirants would start their careers based on untruths and mistrust, a recipe for failure. Another common mistake made is to start communicating with the voters only during the election season. By that time it is almost invariably too late for them to know you and trust your authenticity.
The reality is that building character (i.e. Trust and Truth) is a lifelong and trained experience. This twin pillar comes from your Christian and family values instilled early in life creating a moral compass: honesty, integrity, a good name, etc. The search therefore should be for “God’s Truth”. Speak to this truth no matter how unpopular it might be or from whatever arena you might serve. Sometimes you might suffer a short term setback for holding on to these values, but in the long run your stand will serve you well in building the Trust of your constituents and the wider community. If you fail to live by God’s Truth, you risk losing your credibility and your good name. People will then stop listening to and following you.
Conclusion
Trust me on my conclusion:
Trust is the barometer of Authentic Leadership, because it is the child of Truth – God’s Truth. Trust and Truth are the most powerful political weapons you can possess. They will never forsake you because when all others fail, that’s when God will step to the plate to reinforce and validate your authenticity in the eyes of the voters and the World!
Let’s bring Truth and Trust back into politics and take the Bahamas to a better place.
I trust you will find the information a permanent barometer for your lives, as well as the lives of political aspirants.
Al Jarrett, CMG, MBA
Aug. 12/2010
NOTE: This is the third in a series of
my little nuggets.
