Comparing Learnings from being a candidate in a Council Election and Business Growth

There’s a timeless quotation from US President Theodore Roosevelt Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Recently, I went in a local government election. It actually was a challenging experience and as it is the second time, I should have known better. An election is a complex process and I am impressed with anyone who goes in as a candidate and should they win, it must be a huge high.

Here’s an overview of my comparison and learnings from going through a Council Election and running a business.

Both running for council and growing a business require leadership, resilience, and connecting with people. Here’s how lessons from my local government campaign align with business growth strategies:

1. Authenticity Matters

• Council Campaign: I focused on real community issues like local facilities and cultural spaces. While some candidates relied on charm, my authenticity built trust.

• Business Growth: In business, addressing genuine customer needs drives success. Offering value-driven solutions builds strong relationships and loyalty.

2. Real Value vs. Self-Promotion

• Council Campaign: My focus was on delivering solutions for community issues like improvements for the community, rather than self-promotion. This resonated with many voters.

• Business Growth: Clients look for real value. Businesses should position themselves as problem solvers, offering meaningful solutions that impact their audience’s lives.

3. Resilience Through Setbacks

• Council Campaign: Political setbacks, like backroom deals, revealed challenges. However, they strengthened my understanding of the process and my resolve to advocate for the community.

• Business Growth: In business, setbacks are inevitable. Resilience and a clear strategy ensure continued growth despite challenges.

4. Listening and Connecting with the Community

• Council Campaign: Listening to residents’ concerns was key to aligning my campaign with community needs.

• Business Growth: Actively listening to customers builds trust. Two-way communication ensures businesses deliver solutions that resonate.

5. Continuous Improvement

• Council Campaign: Despite not winning, I gained a better understanding of community priorities, helping refine future approaches.

• Business Growth: Continuous improvement through feedback and performance metrics keeps businesses competitive and drives growth.

Conclusion: Moving Forward with Confidence

The lessons from my council run—authenticity, delivering real value, resilience, listening, and continuous improvement—are just as essential in business as they are in a political campaign.

Whether in politics or business, staying committed to your mission, learning from challenges, and focusing on the needs of those you serve ensures success. These insights will continue to guide both my community work and business growth.

My work involves coaching experienced Experts who are brilliant at their expertise but they find it challenging when it comes to promoting themselves, creating presentations, using speaking as a marketing strategy and simply going out of their comfort zone to achieve their desired business initiative. This is where my work with AdrienneMcLean.com and TheSpeakersPractice.com.auhelps Experts to grow their business by using speaking as a marketing strategy.

My final learning is that you have to be in the arena to achieve your goals and aspirations.

By using Speaking as a Marketing Strategy …….

When you use speaking as a marketing strategy, this can be an effective way to establish yourself as an authority in your field, build up your brand and generate leads. There are certain do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when using this strategy.

Firstly, define your target audience. Understand who your audience is and tell your message accordingly. This will help you to connect with them more effectively. And increase the chances of generating you may contact event planners who are in your target market.

See if the event planners audience would be interested in your topic. Send them a speaking proposal covering your presentation topic when in contact with the event planners say that if they need help, then you’re happy to help them with short notice. This is a big help to the event planner and they will appreciate your assistance and help you in return when they can prepare thoroughly.

Spend time preparing your presentation and practice it several times. This will help you deliver your message more confidently and effectively. Promote your speaking engagements. Use social media tell people about it or your emails, whichever trends you promote to tell them about your speaking engagements.

This will help you to reach a wider audience and generate interest in you.

Certainly when speaking, provide value. Make sure that your presentation provides tools and techniques to help your audience. This could be in the form of actionable tips, insights or inspirations. Then after your presentation, follow up with the attendees to thank them for their time and provide additional resources or support. This will help you to build relationships and potential customers don’t to consider isn’t when an event planner contacts you be open to the opportunity that they’re giving you when you do speak in index. This will be a month or more of promotions to raise awareness of your speaking at the conference or event.

So there’s a lot of value in getting your message out by other platforms. promoting you as an expert in your field. Be careful not to over Promote your products and services. Avoid using your speaking engagements as a selling from the stage and being too aggressive with it.

The important thing when you get up and present, is show your expertise. If you become too salesy and pushy, this lay term the audience are certainly in your presentation prepare your topic. don’t ramble or go off topic. Stay focused on your topic. This will make it easier for your audience to understand your message and take it in.

Otherwise you might lose the attention of your audience if you use jargon and highly technical language, unless you are really speaking to a very select audience. This may be too much for the audience to take in. So really judge the level of jargon that you use, and be careful not to use too much.

Please don’t ignore feedback, be open to critiques and what the audience’s about your presentation. take it into account for future presentations. This is a wonderful opportunity and the more speaking engagements and the more you engage with your audience, the more you build your speaking skills.

It is important to follow up don’t not follow up. Failing to follow up with attendees you become a distant memory. If you do follow up. It keeps you front of mind.

By following these do’s and don’ts. You can really use speaking as a marketing strategy to grow your business grow awareness of your brand and grow awareness of your expertise in the industry. enjoy going out and speaking to groups you’ll meet marvelous people experts in their field. Who you can help if you’d like some assistance, please give me a call check out speakers Practice website, www dot for speakers practice.com.au. You’ll get my contact details there and you can certainly email or even call

For more, check out this video and The Speakers Practice website.