Protocol - Know Your Place


Protocol – Know Your Place


So I was in this movie.   Yes, while Mayor I signed up as an extra in a movie to learn about the economic impact of the movie industry.  I spent a day of waiting for a scene and didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know but I satisfied my ego’s need to be able to say for the rest of my life ‘so I was in this movie.’

My scene was a parade to celebrate the dog becoming a duke.  Yes, the dog becomes a duke.  I’ve had a great deal of experience working my way to the front of parades, so that’s how the first take went.  The director was quite upset with me as no one was to be in front of the star – the dog – so for the second and final take I was back in the crowd applauding adoringly for ‘The Duke.’  I needed to know my role; know my place.

It is ironic that politicians note the discipline within paramilitary bureaucracies when overseeing police and fire departments but don’t see the same rankings around politics.  While there are ‘Chiefs, Deputy Chiefs, Inspectors, Staff Sergeants and Sergeants’ so too are there ‘Prime Ministers, Premiers, Cabinet Ministers, Mayors and Councillors.’  Just watch the next infrastructure announcement or ribbon-cutting to see who speaks, who is on the podium, who gets introduced and who makes up the adoring crowd.

In politics, there are those who respect the hosts who set the protocol for an event and there are those who resist.  Resistance is futile if you’re invited to a royal event – two tables away from the Queen was the closest I got.  Yet I’ve cringed when the volunteer soccer parent is approached by City Councillor who wants to speak at opening ceremonies even though the Mayor is there and the program is already printed.  Quite often this boldness is rewarded because the volunteer doesn’t want a confrontation but I always felt the damage to one’s reputation will likely balance out.

The worst cases I’ve seen are at high school graduation ceremonies.  It is not that someone is added to the program but rather it is a speaker choosing the wrong content.  Too often politicians speak about their own accomplishments as a lesson or inspiration to the graduates but it just seems self-serving to me.  Then there are those who don’t recognize that they are not the guest speaker but have been asked to simply bring greetings and congratulations: I don’t think reading several written pages and too many ‘Yogi Berra’ quotes sends an 18 year old on life’s journey to success.

A high school grad is a good example of ‘knowing your place.’  The stars of the show are the graduates; next in line are the parents and loved ones; then there are the educators; and last are the politicians – whose speeches should walk through that list with thanks and sit down.  The parade of graduates is one they should not try and get to the front of.

To me ‘political protocol’ sometimes calls for turning the campaign off to ensure others have their moment in the spotlight.  Old school perhaps, but I’d sure like to see more of it and continue to recommend so to newly elected officials.
Check out my website at http://frankleonard.ca/ for information on Local Government and Consulting


Popular posts from this blog

Mt. View/Spectrum High School Distinguished Alumni Recognition

  On June 1, 2023 my high school alumni recognized my career with this designation.   Here are my comments at the ceremony. Thank you Mayor Dean Murdock for the introduction; congratulations other alumni for the recognition – it is an honour to be in your company; and a special thanks to my family – all members of my family for so much support for so many years. Allow me to make three comments: 1.         Just how much this means to me.   I attended nine schools in 12 years – my father was transferred around BC, and we rented once or twice at each stop - so it would be remarkable if anyone even remembers my attendance – thus to be presented with a recognition like this is extraordinary and I am truly grateful. 2.         As I look to some here who are travelling similar paths to mine, I want to stress that the goal was never to collect titles and positions – the goal is to make the most of these...
Read more

Clara Isabella Leonard

  Clara Isabella Leonard (nee Akwa) was born in Vancouver August 21, 1930 to Edward and Queenie.  Mom’s Dad – Eddie – was born to a German mother in Finland while her Mom was born in England.  Mom was raised in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood of Vancouver; in fact she attended Mount Pleasant school across the street from her home which was attached to her Dad’s tire and auto wrecking business. Mom was a pretty good softball pitcher and seemed to have a pretty happy childhood albeit within a family that had to be fairly frugal.   She and her sister Edna helped her Dad with his business – Mom liked to talk about that ‘Mr. Pattison’ that would come around looking for used tires for cars he was selling and to be amazed to see that he is now BC’s very own Jimmy Pattison.   Her grandmother – Nanna – lived upstairs in their home and seemed to entertain a lot of different gentlemen, let’s say. The spelling of her last name changed during the WWII as her dad told th...
Read more

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...
Read more