QI have worked for 15 years as a finance professional. For the last three years, my mind has been occupied by thoughts of offering myself up to vie for a parliamentary seat. My colleagues tell me that I am well suited for politics, but my wife is sceptical.
I believe that through my position, I can provide good leadership for my community, while also serving my country in a bigger capacity. However, I am not certain that it is a good career move for me. What is your advice?
Exploring career options that interest you is necessary. It helps you align your talent and passion with your career objectives, and purpose in life.
While it might be complacent not to take your chances on a particular career just because you are comfortable where you are, the process of identifying a fitting career calls for more than mere curiosity. You need to be self-aware and clear about your career objectives.
What has been your greatest satisfaction in pursuing a finance career? What are some of your greatest disappointments there?
In what ways has a career in finance prepared you for politics? What signals your readiness for a career in politics? Are you running away from finance or running towards politics? How might the numbers in politics differ from those in your ledgers?
How well do your colleagues know your capabilities, drive and the anatomy of your purpose in life? How well do you know this yourself?
What is the basis and motive of their advice that you are suited for politics? Do you have reason to cast aspersions on your wife’s concerns? Seek to understand her reservations.
Do you know what it takes to be successful in politics? Have you spoken to politicians about their personal experiences? Are you familiar with the inner workings of their trade? Do you know what lights the fire in their bellies? What about their fears and fortunes?
True, politics is a platform on which much can be accomplished for a nation. In one of his last speeches as Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair stated:
“Some may belittle politics but we who are engaged in it know that it is where people stand tall. Although I know that it has many harsh contentions, it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. If it is, on occasions, the place of low skulduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes”.
Arguments will continue raging concerning whether politicians can be clean. Purity reposes in character, not in careers. Politics is therefore not dirty, people are. The question is not whether a political career is good, it is whether it is the right one for you.
Given, it is natural to want to do something new after a while, and it is OK to chase your dreams. However, ensure that your safety net is big enough because the higher the cliff you jump off from, the greater the chance that you will die upon landing.
Consider coming up with a contingency plan just in case you don’t succeed in politics.
