When I was CEO of my company interviewing people to hire, I never once had an interviewee choose to use their time in the interview to bash the other candidates applying for the job. And if they had, I certainly wouldn’t have been willing to hire them.  I would hire the candidate who shared our company values, who had past experiences they could draw upon to add value to our organization, and who could articulate what goals they will work to accomplish if offered the position.  

All of you that know me, and those who follow my daily blog, know that I don’t typically write anything about politics. But today I felt compelled to share some thoughts for those who have chosen, or will yet choose, to run as candidates in an election.

Whenever there is an election, we as the voters need to figure out which candidate we want to “hire” to fill that position.  As such, we really need each of the candidates vying for the job to share with us what their personal values are, what experience they have had that they feel will add value in the position they are running for, and what their goals are that they plan to work to accomplish if elected to that position.

What we don’t need is:

• We don’t need a candidate to trash another candidate’s character in order to make us believe that you are a person with values.

• We don’t need a candidate to tear apart another candidate’s resume in order to have us recognize the experiences you can bring to the table.

• We don’t need a candidate to belittle, demean, criticize, bash, bully, mock, make fun of, or anything of the like to have us care about what goals you will work to accomplish if elected.

• And we don’t need a candidate to draw comparisons between yourself and other candidates in the race – we can do that for ourselves, and we’d appreciate you proving that you trust we are capable to do so. 

Political races don’t have to go negative. People can showcase who they are and what they bring to the table without putting anyone else down in the process. And always keep in mind that who you are is evident in the way that you treat others.

~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )