Running for Executive Office can understandably be a daunting task for anyone willing to undertake it. If this were DECA competition, you would be competing against most impressive DECA members from your division and every single member in that division is a judge that has a say in the result.
Despite how overwhelming the experience of being a candidate can be, the reward that accompanies a successful candidacy makes the endavor all worthwhile. Here are some tips to ensure that your candidacy for Executive Office be a successful one and to ensure that you have a positive experience.
1. Don’t count yourself out.
As young people and as a society I think we often have a misconception about what leadership is and who can be a leader. That leads to many members counting themselves out as potential candidates for Executive Office. My advice: don’t.
Every member has their own unique skillset that can be leveraged to effectively lead. Taking the leap of faith to run for Executive Office has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my life. It would have been easy to discount my chances and reconsider whether I should take that leap. It’s easy for anyone to have that negative self-talk and discount your chances. That’s human nature. Rising above that though, and not counting myself out, has resulted in an experience I wouldn’t change for the world.
2. Don’t wait.
Running for Executive Office requires a lot of pre-planning. Once you decide to run, don’t wait to start the items you need to complete before the application deadline, and after that, don’t wait to begin to prepare for your campaign at ICDC.
The best candidates have a plan for how they will conduct their campaign. This makes sure that less things can go wrong. If something does happen to go wrong, you will then have the time and resources to correct it thanks to your preparation.
3. Craft a message that serves the organization.
The biggest downfall I have seen for candidates and Executive Officers is their failure to craft and carryout a vision that benefits our organization. This may sound silly, but the candidates and officers that fail are ones who struggle to articulate how they will serve members.
As a candidate and as an Executive Officer you need to be really purpose-driven in how you carry yourself. Serving members needs to be at the core of your candidacy and purpose as a prospective Executive Officer. If it’s not, then your journey to become an Executive Officer will not be the journey you set out for it to be.
I commend any member considering taking that leap of faith of trying to become an Executive Officer. It can be a trying task, but if you stay true to yourself and give it your best effort, no matter what happens it will be a rewarding experience that you will learn a lot about yourself from.
