"If you ever see a turtle on a fence post, you know it didn't get there by itself."
Serving as chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party and as the boss of folks with whom I work, I have kept a printed copy of this photo in my desk.
In having a reminder close at hand that my own success has always involved the teamwork of others, my personal goal is to be a servant leader, not one who finds a parade, then jumps in front to take credit.
In recent days, news outlets have reported on lots of leaders, such as the executives at the helm of Erlanger hospital who were awarded performance bonuses (which have now been delayed); the recent selection of Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam as chairman of the Republican Governors Association; the selection of U. S. Sen. Bob Corker as incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; the selection of U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander as incoming chairman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education & Pensions Committee; as well as recent leadership elections in Tennessee's General Assembly.
To these and all leaders, whether you have a reminder already, or just need a little refresher, don't forget how you got on top of that fence post to be seen, to lead and to govern.
There's a fatigue and loss of trust among workers, voters and citizens of promises made during time of trial and test, such as the financial shortfall being rectified at Erlanger hospital, during elections to garner votes from various groups or in the board rooms when you, as a leader, only think you've got your employees fooled.
Back in 2007, I had the foolish notion to assemble a staff and work toward a Republican Tennessee majority. We put together a PowerPoint presentation called "Holding the Pen in 2010" that provided an overview of the Tennessee General Assembly composition. In the Tennessee Senate, there were 16 Republicans, 16 Democrats, and 1 Independent; in the House, there were 53 Democrats and 46 Republicans; in the U.S. Congress, there were 5 Republicans and 4 Democrats.
If Republicans held the numerical majority in the Tennessee General Assembly by 2010, the redistricting "pen" would be out of the hands of Democrats.
In 2007, the task at times did appear impossible as was described to me by a few Tennessee House members who still serve today. Barack Obama was then a sensation of the imagination.
Yet, through promises kept, actions taken with an incredible team, and a tremendous amount of hard work, the November 2008 election changed Tennessee political history. The Tennessee Senate Republican numbers climbed to 19 and the state House flipped to 50 Republicans, despite an "Obama" win nationally.
There are a lot of turtles on fence posts. Don't forget the effort of those who put you there.
Robin Smith, immediate past Tennessee Republican Party chairwoman, is owner of Rivers Edge Alliance.