"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Friday 30 March 2012

Things Are Tough All Over

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Point Of Zero Tolerance...or No Return":

Speaking of 'culling': Cllr Buck is being very selective with the comments she chooses to publish.

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A flurry of non-relevant e-mails always result when a post scores on the mark.

It's my blog. I decide which comments merit publication.

If you don't like it...you must lump it.

You can't complain to the senior editor. Or the publisher.

I am both.

You can't withdraw your advertising business because I don't have it.

If you are a hockey coach you can't make my son's life miserable because of something his mother said that you don't like.

If you are a teacher, you can't embarrass my daughter because of a position her mother has taken.

You can't enlist your class of ten year olds to write insulting and abusive letters to the Town's Mayor to suit your purpose.

You can privately thank your deity that I only have one vote on council, if that's the kind of thing you include in your prayers.

It's all I ever had or anyone else has either, so your deity can't do much about that even if he was so inclined.

But it's not my vote you're worried about,is it?

It's the people who "follow" my blog who really concern you.

The people who watch council on television and form their own conclusions.

Because whatever happens within the term, they are the ones, when their turn comes, who will make the decision about whether or not they have been well-served.

Things are not the way they used to be. They are never going to be that way again.

Controversial decisions will not be forgotten by the time of the election. They will be as fresh as the day they were made.

Intervening time will prove how many have less to recommend them two years hence than at the time they are being made.

Aurora's politics will never be the same as long as the blog shall live. But they never did fit the popular mis-conception and that's the real reason for the blog.

All of the people could never be fooled all of the time.

But now it's even harder to fool some of them, some of the time.

1 comment:

christopher watts said...

Great post Clr. Buck.

Dorie Clark has an excellent article on this subject:
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/03/its_not_a_job_search_-_its_a_p.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29

"You're now responsible for curating your image.

And unfortunately, it's not enough just to worry about it at "election time" — i.e., when you're seeking a promotion or looking for a new job. The permanent campaign truly is ongoing.

Putting forward your personal brand requires ongoing vigilance.

Many people don't want to deal with the hassle of a "permanent career campaign." They think it's too much work to contemplate their personal brand, maintain their social media footprint, or cultivate relationships when they're not on the make for a new job. Those are the people who will lose. Whether or not you want to play the game, it's happening around you. "

Clark outlines new truths along with some suggestions as to how to remain engaged and be effective.

What you do on this blog embodies a great deal of this. I suggest the rest of council take every opportunity to learn from your leadership in this area.