Realize the power within to start making your own rules, and when someone gives you an opportunity: take it.
M any people are front and center in the democratic process, driving the news and responding to the news each and every day in Washington, in state capitals, and local communities across the nation. Less than 20 percent of elected officials are women and even fewer are women staffers. Politics doesn’t lend itself to many women running for office much less working in the process — hours are long, unpredictable and never-ending.
Most of us never make the news and never want to be in the news. We aren’t front and center, but we are the staffers talking to voters, constituents, lobbyists, lawmakers, business owners and the media on a daily basis. We are the ones setting legislative priorities, driving the daily narrative, and making elections — and their results — matter.
After 15 years working in the process, I’ve observed that only one thing remains consistent: the opportunity for women to stay involved in politics and take on leadership roles are there, but far too often, the barriers women face are their own. Although there are structural challenges that women undeniably face in any workplace, sometimes we get in our own…
