In the Upper Midwest we greet the 1st of March with just a bit of trepidation.
The old cliche is that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. The end of the long winter with a couple big weather punches finally, relenting to Spring.
The advent of March has led me to think about lions in our lives and in our businesses. Those seemingly undefeatable opponents – people or things. The really difficult problems that don’t appear to have a way through. The sticky issues that sometimes we would rather avoid than confront. Let’s be honest. Its hard. Its messy. Its without a clear answer.
I learned how to overcome these really difficult challenges as we were fighting for public funding of clean needle exchange programs. In 1994. In Milwaukee. A solidly democratic area that at the time wasn’t quite progressive enough to fully embrace the idea. Of course, very few areas of the country had public funding for life-saving needle exchange programs back then. Thankfully, that has changed demonstrating that what seems insurmountable can in fact be conquered.
As I have before I share what I learned in the original 140-character or less tweet:
Lobbying for needle exchange funds led to 1,400 calls against us a day led by right wing radio. Still won. Hard work is the answer.
For us this was the lion of lions. New HIV cases were exploding. The program to save lives was highly controversial. There wasn’t nearly enough money – private or public. It was about saving the lives of people actively using illegal substances. Some people untruthfully said the program increased drug use. No one wanted to touch the program much less fund it.
In seemed like local right-wing radio was working to earn all of their rating points on this single issue, day after day, harping on it. Activating their listeners to call the County Board. This was when a single person answered every call – no advanced telephone system with voice prompts. I really think the receptionist came to despise me as I was lobbying the County Supervisors while she had to constantly answer the phone. One time she showed me the call sheet – 1,400 calls. All against funding.
Thirteen months later we won more than $100,000 in new County funding for needle exchange – an unparalleled victory – setting a new standard that many would eventually follow.
Hard work had paid off as the answer. But what is hard work? Its more than just putting in the effort.
1.) Perseverance. Doesn’t matter how strong the opposition just stick to it. Hard work includes hard work – endless hours, difficult conversations, tons of effort. We lost that budget cycle but came back and won the next year.
2.) Principles. Have them, incorporate them into your work (in this case an advocacy position), and don’t sway from them.
3.) Patience. As leaders we never get all we want or even need. And certainly not when we need it. Political supporters left us. Volunteer committee members of the organization resigned. The issue needed more time to percolate to gain public support.
4.) Possibility. As leaders we need to always think in the realm of what is possible. In this case we were able to prevail by making a concession in the language of the budget amendment. One that stuck to our principles and allowed us to secure much needed funding.
As leaders we need to work to prevent the lions, we need to make sure not to avoid them, and we definitely need to emerge victorious over them. Its hard. Its messy. Its without clear answers.
I have enjoyed growing my consulting work to include a new service to tame the lions – Executive Partnership. This is not Executive Coaching. I know many good coaches and am always happy to send you to them. This is an ongoing partnership I have with CEOs to take on the lions – in their organization, among their staff, in the finances, amidst their strategy, or elsewhere. There has been great interest in it. I invite you to learn more about it here. Let me help you tame your lions.
As always feel free to reach out with your thoughts and questions. And, here’s to the, soon-to-be start of Spring!
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