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You want to run for president of your organization, and to do it, you have to stand up and give a pitch. A speech. You have to make your case for why they should trust you to run the group for the next year.
Even if you're a shoo-in for the spot, the speech can be intimidating. How can you say something that will instill confidence yet not sound cheesy and trite?
You might want to say things like:
You have to elect me because I'm the only one who understands what the hell is going on.
Elect me so I can continue to do all the work like I've been doing all year anyway.
Vote for me. After the last dummy we had, I would be a massive improvement.
But, of course, you can't say those things. Aim for a spirit of collaborative leadership in your comments.
- I will aggressively seek out your best ideas. I won't just have an open door, I'm going to be knocking on your door, asking for your thoughts, your criticisms, and your willingness to step up and share the leadership with me and the other officers.
- Communication is the most important quality I plan to nurture, because when everyone is talking, trusting each other, setting shared goals, and working in unity, we can get amazing things done. I believe the most important thing I can do as president is keep everyone talking and feeling great about being part of this team.
- I promise to pay attention to the details.
- I will work very hard to move this organization forward, in small ways and maybe in a few big ways. If I didn't think I could do that, then I wouldn't want the job. If you just want someone to keep everything the same, I'm not the best person to vote for. I think our organization can be better and that's why I'm asking for this opportunity.
- I want this to be fun. I want to enjoy the experience, and I want you to enjoy being part of this organization. That won't always be easy, so I'll need your help. There will be times when the stress of being president will get to me, and that's when I'll need you to step in, offer me a little encouragement, and put my mind back in the right place. I'm going to count on you, just as much as you'll be counting on me.
- We have some problems. We all know that. I'm willing to put in the earnest effort to move us toward some fixes. Don't elect me to solve the problems. Elect me because you feel like you'd be willing to stand next to me and share the heavy lifting.
- I bring some good qualities that will help me succeed in this position. I hope that by serving as your president, I'll grow even more as a leader. I'm doing this because I want to make a difference, but also because I want to emerge a smarter, more able leader. If you give me this opportunity, I'm going to personally invest in it just as each of you is personally investing in me.
