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Editor's Note: Patricio Morelos is a political communication consultant. Political scientist from ITESM and specialist in Government Management from the Camilo José Cela University. He is currently a student of the Master in Political Communication and Strategic Governance at The George Washington University. University professor of the subjects of Political Marketing and Citizenship and Democracy at Tecnológico de Monterrey. You can follow him on Twitter @patomorelos. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author.
(CNN Spanish) - Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil, wrote a series of tips for successful governments. In one of them, focused on setting the course, he states that “in today's world political leadership is never achieved once and for all. It must be fed and constantly renewed. It is no longer possible for a leader to impose without negotiating, deciding without listening, or governing without explaining or convincing. ”
It is a fact: politics has changed. At present, we no longer see political leaders who fully concentrate power. The emergence of new actors has forced them to govern through negotiation, communication and cooperation.
It is here, in contexts of uncertainty, that leaders with leadership abilities stand out. A leadership that allows actions to be carried out that transcend a government administration and, finally, have a positive impact on the lives of citizens.
Jose Luis Méndez, a professor at El Colegio de México, defines political leadership as “the ability to recognize what can be done and what cannot be done under certain circumstances, set significant goals at the same time as achievable and then convene around they to the political actors ”.
The consolidation of democracy in Latin America has brought with it more and more competitive electoral processes. And of course, the competition has borne political parties and candidates to commit to proposals that, no matter how much political will they have, are impossible to carry out.
Some for a matter of time, such as the construction of a megaproject; others for money, such as the application of Universal Basic Income or of course, others for breaking with the same law, as we saw in the 2018 electoral process in Mexico, with the proposal of Jaime Rodríguez “El Bronco” to cut off the hands of the criminals.
That is why current policy needs rulers with the ability to plan, negotiate, execute and listen. Plan an achievable government agenda, which seeks to solve the main problems of the community. Negotiate with the different political actors, to generate agreements to boost government programs. Execute public policies, with the opening to evaluate and carry out the changes that are required. And listen to society, which is finally the one that receives the benefits, but also, the one that suffers the problems permanently.
Being a government and governing is not easy, many times it is even unpopular. In 2015, at a meeting in Madrid, a Mexican ex-president explained to me that those of us who work in politics have to differentiate between campaigning and government. In campaign, he told me, you say whatever it takes to win, while when you are a government, you hardly fulfill 30% of what you promise.
It is time that those who govern, or aspire to do so, understand that transcending means having the capacity and willingness to lead and act when required and, in turn, refrain from doing so at times when policies and policies can be affected. citizens
Governing is not a matter of votes. To rule is to honor the word.
Governments Leader