BY ANDREA WOODARD | Public policy manager, Greater Des Moines Partnership

With the election one month behind us, it’s time to move on, and it’s up to our female leaders to help our communities do just that. It is my belief that women are often the best messengers for finding common ground and promoting civility.

In the past two months, I had the opportunity to attend two conferences geared toward women. The Association of Junior Leagues International Leadership Conference covered the very important topic of building a bench of leaders and the role our organization can play in that effort. I also attended the Iowa Women Lead Change Central Iowa Conference, and the message I took away was the opportunity for women to take the lead in spreading a message of civility because words DO matter.

This year proves the importance of that message. The 2016 election has proved America is a divided country. Regardless of which candidates received your vote, we need to consider this low point as an opportunity and start moving forward. I believe we as women are in the best position to lead our communities through this effort.

We have the opportunity to make our voice heard and change the status quo. It is our duty as citizens to questions the decisions of our elected officials, and we will be most successful if we do it in a productive and respectful way. We must accept that our perspective is one of many and it’s possible there is more than one right answer. We are a nation of different cultures and different experiences. Since we will not always find agreement, we can seek consensus.

As female leaders, we can help change the negative attitudes on both sides of the political aisle and demand respect. I offer the following suggestions:

1. Speak up when others are being disrespectful or straight-up rude. Kids are told to be kind to others and to speak up when bullies strike, yet as adults we are often the most guilty of how we treat others and staying silent when others are being hurt. Let’s lead by example.

2. Give elected officials the title they deserve. Even if you did not vote for that candidate or if you disagree with every decision they make, this is a democracy. It is not easy to run for office and not everyone is bold enough to put their name on the ballot. We should respect the process and honor the outcome because it respects the votes of your friends and neighbors, even if it differs from your own.

3. When you disagree with those who represent you in government, speak up!But do it respectfully and offer solutions. Generally speaking, we have similar goals for our families and our communities, but we often differ in how we accomplish those goals. We as women can help keep the end goal top of mind.

 

4. Consider being the solution and putting your name on the ballot. More women than ever ran for political office in Iowa, and we should encourage more to run. Women bring different skills to the table and a different approach to leadership. We can be the voice for civility and lead toward compromise.

 

With so many efforts in Iowa to put women in leadership roles, we have to support each other even when we may disagree. Through that support, we are leading by example. I applaud the 50-50 in 2020 organization for supporting women regardless of their political party. We will never get to 50 percent without women throughout the political spectrum. Is it not in our best interest to seek compromise instead of defeat?