Should I Stay, or Should I go?

In a past election cycle, a professional colleague asked me whether she should leave her current job on a campaign for another opportunity, two months before Election Day. The new position offered more responsibility and higher pay. She was worth far more than her current salary and had successfully managed larger projects, so whether or not she would perform well in this role was not in question.

Should she accept the better position with increased compensation, or was the potential of burning a bridge with her current employer not worth the risk? That was what I needed to help her discern.

Thankfully, I have a clear policy: Once I commit to joining a campaign, I remain until the end. That end may be Election Day, or a month after, depending on how much after-action work needs to be done. In any case, I finish when the job I committed to is complete.

On nearly every campaign, moments have arisen when quitting crossed my mind. Ask any operative and they will tell you the same. The hours are long. The goals can feel and often are impossible. (Looking at you, RNC data team). Beyond that, it is the summer, and everyone is traveling while we work more in a single week than most have worked in two or more.

Then there are the opportunities that appear. People observe your dedication, and they want you on their team. Campaigns, PACs, and organizations are desperate for seasoned talent and they are willing to compensate accordingly.

One such cycle really put my commitment to the test.

During the 2012 election, I was hired as the Executive Director for the Republican National Committee’s Victory program in Missouri. My responsibility was to manage the state’s grassroots operations for the Romney campaign and down-ballot candidates. I traded a comfortable position at a political firm, complete with a strong salary, company car, and fancy espresso maker, for a pay reduction, double the hours, and crappy coffee out of Styrofoam cups.

Two weeks into the campaign, I learned that my husband and I were excitedly expecting a child. The thought certainly crossed my mind to find my replacement and return to my previous, cushy role. However, I maintain this contract with myself: finish what you start. My Congresswoman, friend, and sometimes irreplaceable sounding board, Congresswoman Ann Wagner told me in this critical moment, “Never make career decisions based on money. This is an amazing opportunity. I put you up for it because I know you will be great.”

We all need people like that in our lives to keep us right-footed.

I have hired and trained many staff members throughout my career. Recruiting, vetting, and training require significant time. When someone departs early, it harms the team and the campaign. Rare exceptions exist, such as family emergencies, but in nearly every case where I have been affected by a colleague’s early departure, the reasons were that the supervisor was too demanding, the hours were too long, or a higher-paying opportunity arose. Demanding supervisors, extended hours, and high expectations are precisely what one signs up for on a campaign. If a better opportunity presents itself, that is excellent. Be proud of your accomplishments. Such offers will come if you perform well. Complete your commitment. Build trust with future employers and clients by demonstrating that you can be relied upon. You have invested too much effort to damage your reputation by leaving early. Loyalty and reliability will get you far.

Above all, be confident in the fact that sometimes career moves do not make sense on paper, but God’s calling on your life always does.

1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”