In his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey outlines six strategies to help us be more effective and then includes the most important one as the last habit: Sharpen the saw. After we adopt new strategies, we need to go back and practice and practice again. With the White House operating with reckless abandon, it’s time to renew our civic engagement. I therefore am updating and re-posting a blog entry from five years ago.
When was the last time you met with your representative or senators? How about a call? Email or letter? As my information technology consultant can attest, I burn through batteries on my wireless keyboard faster than any of his other clients. While it’s not only from sending emails to my representative and both senators, I’ve done my share of expressing my concerns by phone and in-person on a range of issues. Of course, immigration is a central issue for me based upon my line of work.
After a year of writing and calling, I finally achieved a breakthrough with my representative (Mr. Steve Stivers, Republican, for the record; no longer in office) and had a meeting with his chief of staff and legislative staffer. I expressed an interest in talking mainly about comprehensive immigration reform. That’s what we did for nearly an hour.
What surprised me most from the meeting was the common ground we shared on immigration reform. After calling his office nearly a year before the meeting, I received a letter that basically said he believed that the U.S. is a nation of laws and that he opposed “amnesty” for the estimated 11 million undocumented persons in the United States. As a close follower of the rhetoric surrounding immigration reform, I know that the term “amnesty” is one typically bantered about by those who would favor rounding up 11 million people and sending them home. I expressed this concern during the meeting.
To my pleasant surprise, the legislative staffer clarified Mr. Stivers’ position as one that proposed a “path to legalization” for the 11 million undocumented persons. If they later choose to apply for citizenship, that is a personal choice for them. What the “path” might involve is far from certain, but it was welcome news to hear that Mr. Stivers’ use of the term “amnesty” does not mean mass deportation but rather that those who meet certain requirements could put themselves on a path to obtain legal status and appropriate documentation. We certainly could use more of this type of common sense and practical thinking now.
We both learned something in the meeting. I learned that my representative actually supported some of the policies I’ve been advocating. His staff learned that the communications coming out of his office may send the wrong message and would benefit from a fresh set of eyes and wordsmithing to align his positions with the chosen vocabulary.
Even if immigration reform is not at the top of your list, the only way your elected officials will know what concerns you is if you communicate with them. Pick up the phone or send an email and request a meeting. It just might be a very rewarding experience. It sure was for me. Now it’s time for me to practice Stephen Covey’s seventh habit and get to work.