A politician as a career bureaucrat or an elite institution lawyer is an old-fashioned perception. Many of the best and most meaningful public leaders come from areas that are unrelated to typical paths into politics. Their successes aren’t due to the fact that they weren’t from the traditional pathways, but due to the fact that they were. In this piece, I will discuss the required qualifications for politicians.
Through my research on many of the successful leaders, I’ve seen that public service doesn’t necessarily depend on having a particular type of education or degree. Instead, I believe that there are a number of transferable skills and experiences that will allow someone to develop the capacity to understand the different perspectives of the people you are serving, the ability to be resilient, and the capacity to solve problems practically.
These are the types of skills and experiences that will help someone navigate difficult problems and communicate effectively with the people they are trying to represent.
What Truly Qualifies Someone for Public Service?
Experience and personal qualities that make someone capable of being empathetic and grounded are essential to being a good leader.
Groundedness/Empathy: Being able to understand the experiences of the people you are working for is key. This is rarely taught in classrooms; however, this can be gained by participating in experiences and working in ways that put you directly in contact with people of all backgrounds.
Crisis Management/Decisions: Leading often requires you to make wise decisions during a crisis. Having experience in areas such as emergency response, the military, or small business management during times of economic uncertainty provides the same type of training for managing a crisis.
Problem Solving: Theoretically knowing policy is very important, but the ability to manage budgets, negotiate conflicts, and mobilize a group to address a tangible issue is also important. These are skills that are gained through experience in the real world.
Non-Traditional Paths to Developing Exceptional Public Leaders
Some of the best preparation for public life takes place outside of politics.
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Service/Frontline Work
Why It Matters: Working in roles that involve helping people, such as in healthcare, social work, teaching, or service industries, provides a clear and unfiltered view of the problems that people face on a day-to-day basis.
This fosters a true and authentic level of empathy, which is necessary to create and implement policies that benefit the people.
Skills Developed: Active listening, patience, developing the ability to communicate with diverse populations, and demonstrating compassion when dealing with stressful situations.
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Military Service
Why it Matters: Military service teaches you to be disciplined, think strategically, and understand how to follow orders in a hierarchical structure while still keeping the overall mission of the organization in mind.
Skills Developed: Demonstrating leadership abilities in extreme conditions, logistical planning, working as part of a team, and gaining a firsthand understanding of the implications of public policy on those who execute it.
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Entrepreneurship/Small Business Ownership
Why It Matters: Operating a business provides you with a comprehensive understanding of budgeting, fiscal responsibility, and adaptability. You will learn to manage a payroll, comply with regulations, and understand the economic impact of a community from the ground up.
Skills Developed: Budgeting, taking calculated risks, negotiating, and understanding the economic and employment impacts of public policy.
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Community Organizing/Non-Profit Work
Why It Matters: Community organizing/non-profit work is the process of galvanizing support among individuals based upon a collective interest without the power of money or authority. This is about listening to community concerns, building consensus, and creating positive change from the bottom up.
Skills Developed: Building coalitions, mobilizing the grassroots movement, communicating through public forums, and understanding the local interests and networks.
The Most Important “X-Factor”: Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Regardless of the specific title of the role you are seeking, EI is the most important skill for public service. EI includes self-awareness, empathy, social skills, active listening, and other related skills.
Self-Awareness: Knowing Your Own Biases, Triggers, and Limitations.
Empathy: Sharing the emotions of other people and understanding them.
Social Skill: Ability to build and maintain relationships and build networks.
Active Listening: The discipline to listen to understand, rather than respond.
This is what enables a person to build trust, resolve conflict, and inspire diverse groups of people towards a common purpose.
Public service is becoming more accessible than ever before. Increasingly, voters and communities value authentic lived experiences and not simply polished resumes from politicians. They want leaders who do not simply understand policy but who understand people.
When you are evaluating whether or not you wish to pursue a path to public leadership, start by examining your own experiences. What problems did you solve? What diverse populations have you worked with? What crises have you navigated?
These are not alternative forms of qualifications but rather fundamental forms of qualifications. The most effective public servants are those who lead, not from a position of privilege, but from a base of real-world experience and genuine human connection.
To break into a career in politics, your non-traditional background is likely to provide a solid foundation.
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