It's not you, it's the title

It’s not you, it’s the title

Mr. Mayor; Mr. Chair; Mr. President.  There you go – carry one of those titles around for a while and you’ll think you’re pretty special.  In fact, you might even seem smart as so many marvel at your words. The key is though to know how you’ll be treated when the title is gone.

Elsewhere in these stories I will describe how I’ve chased these titles since grade five.  And this means I learned at an early age what happens when they are gone.  Toughest school age experience was being a ‘mover and shaker’ in our grade nine class and so assured that I could get elected School President for my grade ten year (this was at a time that junior high was grade eight to ten.)  My dad’s transfer to Victoria put an end to that and I arrived at a new school for grade ten with no one really giving a damn about my suggestions or yet alone leadership.  It was a long year and it took to the end of grade eleven to finally challenge for School President, albeit unsuccessfully.

The first adult experience came in 1986.  Somehow I managed to serve as President of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce in 1985 at the ripe age of 30.  My wife and I attended cocktail parties, receptions, and fundraisers all year long.  During the day I came and went from our family business to chair meetings, speak at media announcements, attend ribbon cuttings and of course meet Premiers and Cabinet Ministers.  But as soon as my term was up, the invites thinned out considerably.  Seems the invites were to the Chamber President but not for me.

The darkest contrast came when I lost the May 1996 provincial election.  I’d spent three years doing everything the leader had asked and that often meant meeting industry and lobby groups to represent the new face of our party.  Ferry rides, Vancouver hotel rooms, lunches and dinners were all part of the menu as I flourished within Gordon Campbell’s inner circle – so much so that I was named in a Vancouver Sun story as one of the party’s ‘up and comers.’  The day after my election defeat that all changed – no one wanted to meet with me, including Campbell.  That summer was a long one.

So I was very much prepared for life after my eighteen years as Mayor in 2014.  I knew the invites would disappear and indeed they did.  I still see the dinners, annual events and ribbon cuttings on my ‘friends’ Facebook pages – but completely understand why no one invites me anymore.  And that is the lesson for those currently in such political positions, particularly the newly-elected.  You’re thrilled being invited to events you never even knew of and flattered that so many people want to hear your comments and opinions.  But know – and tell yourself daily – that this is not your real world.  Know that they are not inviting you; they are inviting your position.

Perhaps I’ll add a footnote to make my point.  My political fundraiser always auctioned off ‘lunch with the Mayor.’ At the 2014 event, Alan Lowe worked his magic as an auctioneer and just as two bidders were reaching a very high amount – he suggested they both ‘win’ and buy lunch with the Mayor.  They did and our campaign benefited from their cheques.  Post-election I still felt obliged to buy these businessmen lunch and I sent them emails offering to set up a date and place but….they both responded and said ‘no thanks.’  You see, even when they’d paid big bucks they weren’t interested in having lunch with me – it was my title.


Check out my website at http://frankleonard.ca/ for information on Local Government and Consulting