Respecting Your Rivals
I remember my first election.
It was the spring of 2002. An introverted, seventeen-year-old Trevor had been nominated as president for his high school's chapter of the National Honor Society. I can honestly say that I had no ambition of serving in the role when I first joined and I was a bit taken aback when two of my older peers nominated me for the position. But, I took it all in stride and figured, what the heck, I may as well give it a go.
My general election opponent that year was a smart, gifted girl named Ashley. Unbeknownst to me, Ashley had consulted with a team of friends and they were prepared to serve as the complete Board with each of them having already chosen the role they would fill. As luck would have it, the rest of Ashley's team was running unopposed so I was the only obstacle in their plan for local high school domination.
My speech was garbage. I don't even remember what I said. I'm sure it was generic about wanting to be more involved in the club and I'm fairly certain I threw in a joke about the "good-looking" guys who nominated me and to whom I was grateful. Ashley, on the other hand, provided many more specifics and had a much more detailed platform. Had I been a nonpartisan voting member, I would have chosen Ashley in a heartbeat.
But this was high school where brilliance often goes unappreciated. Me, the quiet soccer player with occasional jokes who just happened to be a boy, was able to squeak out an election victory over the clearly more qualified girl, unintentionally crushing her and her friends' dream scenario. It wasn't until our first Board meeting in the fall when my advisor told me about her reservations of my "quiet nature" that I realized that I may have been in over my head. About a month later Ashley came to one of our meetings and asked me and our Board members if she could serve in an unofficial capacity.
I now had a choice. Do I accept the help of this ambitious young woman who lost fair and square? Or do I solidify my authority and say that the Board has already been selected?
I chose option #1 and the choice wasn't even difficult. I knew we needed Ashley's expertise and the fact that she already had a strong relationship with my fellow Board members was an added bonus. She also was gregarious and outgoing and served as a nice yin to my yang. By the end of the year, my concerned advisor noted that I had become much more relaxed and confident in my public speaking and I can't help but credit Ashley and her friends for helping me overcome my anxieties.
I recount this story not to toot my own horn entirely, but to share a quality of good leadership. Talent begets talent, no matter the circumstance. What I learned at the ripe old age of seventeen was that in order to be successful, you need to surround yourself with the best people, even if you were rivals at one point. Our Board thrived because Ashley joined us and we all pushed each other to be better. She and her friends had a good time but when push came to shove, they knew how to get down to business. At our year-end inductions where we introduce the new members and new Board, I pulled my fellow Board members aside after the event and gave them all flowers. It was the least I could do for all they had done for me and the organization as a whole.
This past week, a lot was made in the run-up to the vice-presidential announcement that there was somehow friction between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because Harris "attacked" Biden at the first debate. Both Biden and Harris were asked about the "attack" with each of them dismissing it as being part of the democratic process. It wasn't personal they insisted, and it was simply par for the course. Despite their consistent reaffirmation of this, there still existed a world of political pundits who insisted that there must have been some sort of ill-will between the two, perhaps being so pervasive that Harris may have very well cost herself a shot at not only the vice-presidential position but also any sort of cabinet position in a Biden administration. These pundits insisted that Biden would be unable to let it go.
Fortunately for all of us, they were wrong.
And they were wrong because Joe Biden knew in 2020 what little old Trevor knew in 2002: competition makes us stronger. Biden was never insulted by Harris' engagement; in fact, he saw it as a strength and a positive. During their first joint appearance, Biden specifically mentioned Harris' ability to challenge him when he said:
It was the spring of 2002. An introverted, seventeen-year-old Trevor had been nominated as president for his high school's chapter of the National Honor Society. I can honestly say that I had no ambition of serving in the role when I first joined and I was a bit taken aback when two of my older peers nominated me for the position. But, I took it all in stride and figured, what the heck, I may as well give it a go.
My general election opponent that year was a smart, gifted girl named Ashley. Unbeknownst to me, Ashley had consulted with a team of friends and they were prepared to serve as the complete Board with each of them having already chosen the role they would fill. As luck would have it, the rest of Ashley's team was running unopposed so I was the only obstacle in their plan for local high school domination.
My speech was garbage. I don't even remember what I said. I'm sure it was generic about wanting to be more involved in the club and I'm fairly certain I threw in a joke about the "good-looking" guys who nominated me and to whom I was grateful. Ashley, on the other hand, provided many more specifics and had a much more detailed platform. Had I been a nonpartisan voting member, I would have chosen Ashley in a heartbeat.
But this was high school where brilliance often goes unappreciated. Me, the quiet soccer player with occasional jokes who just happened to be a boy, was able to squeak out an election victory over the clearly more qualified girl, unintentionally crushing her and her friends' dream scenario. It wasn't until our first Board meeting in the fall when my advisor told me about her reservations of my "quiet nature" that I realized that I may have been in over my head. About a month later Ashley came to one of our meetings and asked me and our Board members if she could serve in an unofficial capacity.
I now had a choice. Do I accept the help of this ambitious young woman who lost fair and square? Or do I solidify my authority and say that the Board has already been selected?
I chose option #1 and the choice wasn't even difficult. I knew we needed Ashley's expertise and the fact that she already had a strong relationship with my fellow Board members was an added bonus. She also was gregarious and outgoing and served as a nice yin to my yang. By the end of the year, my concerned advisor noted that I had become much more relaxed and confident in my public speaking and I can't help but credit Ashley and her friends for helping me overcome my anxieties.
I recount this story not to toot my own horn entirely, but to share a quality of good leadership. Talent begets talent, no matter the circumstance. What I learned at the ripe old age of seventeen was that in order to be successful, you need to surround yourself with the best people, even if you were rivals at one point. Our Board thrived because Ashley joined us and we all pushed each other to be better. She and her friends had a good time but when push came to shove, they knew how to get down to business. At our year-end inductions where we introduce the new members and new Board, I pulled my fellow Board members aside after the event and gave them all flowers. It was the least I could do for all they had done for me and the organization as a whole.
This past week, a lot was made in the run-up to the vice-presidential announcement that there was somehow friction between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because Harris "attacked" Biden at the first debate. Both Biden and Harris were asked about the "attack" with each of them dismissing it as being part of the democratic process. It wasn't personal they insisted, and it was simply par for the course. Despite their consistent reaffirmation of this, there still existed a world of political pundits who insisted that there must have been some sort of ill-will between the two, perhaps being so pervasive that Harris may have very well cost herself a shot at not only the vice-presidential position but also any sort of cabinet position in a Biden administration. These pundits insisted that Biden would be unable to let it go.
Fortunately for all of us, they were wrong.
And they were wrong because Joe Biden knew in 2020 what little old Trevor knew in 2002: competition makes us stronger. Biden was never insulted by Harris' engagement; in fact, he saw it as a strength and a positive. During their first joint appearance, Biden specifically mentioned Harris' ability to challenge him when he said:
When I agreed to serve as President Obama’s running mate, he asked me a number of questions, as I’ve asked Kamala, but the most important was he asked me, what I wanted most importantly. I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made important decisions. That’s what I asked Kamala, I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room, to always tell me the truth, which she will, challenge my assumptions if she disagrees, ask the hard questions because that’s the way we make the best decisions for the American people.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is true leadership. It's not what we've seen these past three-plus years with Donald Trump surrounding himself with a symphony of sycophants, all of whom would nod and smile if their lord and savior said the grass was purple. It's bringing in a team of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. It's something Barack Obama did and it's something Joe Biden intends on doing as well. Because Democrats don't hold grudges the way Donald Trump does. They understand that this election is bigger than one person and all egos must be put aside. It's why Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar stepped aside before Super Tuesday. It's why Andrew Yang politely campaigned and then received an invitation to speak at the Democratic Convention. It's why Susan Rice and Karen Bass went on television and immediately praised the selection of Kamala Harris. This goodwill starts at the top of the ticket with Joe Biden and it filters all the way down because Joe Biden's ego doesn't need to be constantly stroked like that of Donald Trump. Joe Biden isn't afraid to bring in the best people regardless of whether or not they always agree with him.
What a glorious change that will be on January 20th, 2021.