It’s been a week since election night and I still have a giddy grin on my face. To have been a part of something so monumental was exciting, humbling, and such a learning experience. It is amazing how fast the day can go by, how many balls we can have up in the air, how many directions we can be pulled at once. Taking a minute to slow things down for a second, reflect, and process feels luxurious.
I especially connected with the “Lessons in Loyalty” from Lorraine Grubbs-West. As a Field Organizer, we embodied the Do More With Less mentality. Example: we have 10 phone bankers and only 4 phones… or we have 100 packs to print, only one printer and it’s midnight. This campaign was about working smarter, not just harder.
Measuring everything also became integral in my life, as we had to report the number of volunteers active today and expected tomorrow, phone calls made, doors knocked upon, team activities completed. Numbers win elections, yard signs don’t vote, and measuring voter contact became the most important form of accountability.
Empowering my volunteers was an exercise in letting go of control, but that is the whole point of the campaign; respect, include, empower. This is much easier said than done. Especially when a stressed out volunteer with negative feedback can make you question your decisions.
However, it is because each volunteer was empowered and felt ownership over this campaign that we will be having monthly Obama Family potluck dinners to stay in-touch. After being abroad for so long, this group became my friends, and I am looking forward to building these relationships.
Now that I am off the campaign trail, it’s time to pick-up the job search again- we’ll see where it takes me!
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