A man who had a surprising impact on American Politics was Richard Daley, the orchestrator of what we now call “Chicago Style Politics.” Although he served in the state legislature for years, he is mostly known for being the Mayor of Chicago. His political campaigns are not without controversy. Although his tactics have been used by many politicians, his grassroots, community-focused organizational efforts were unprecedented.
Sometime during his rise to political power, a phrase that he used amongst his campaign team became popular. My father and grandfather often repeated that phrase, and it slowly worked their way into my consciousness. That phrase is my 3rd guiding principle that I am going to highlight in my 10-day series:
Principle 3 – Make No Waves, Back No Losers
I believe this phrase emphasizes the idea that one should not invite unnecessary controversy and should not back losing candidates. Interestingly enough, this may have been a phrase in Daley’s cadence, but he certainly did not practice it very well. His methods invited plenty of criticism and controversy. I am not sure the idea of “not making waves” sunk in with him.
Regardless, the phrase became popular in our household and was considered solid advice. I am not sure I understood what this phrase meant when I was younger, but over time, I started to prescribe my own meaning, and that is what I am going to focus on here. The phrase probably suggests that you should not draw too much attention to yourself, not get embroiled in controversy, and stay the course. However, the meaning to me has become something different.
Making no waves means you do not want people to see you coming. Moving my boat out into the marina, I aim to make as little wake as possible. Slowly move out into the open water with as little commotion as possible. Drawing unnecessary attention to yourself distracts from the objective and shifts energy from the reason for interaction. Making unnecessary waves always comes back to you in equal or greater measure. If you will cause waves, do so purposefully and with intent.
Backing no losers, I have interpreted to mean the act of starting a new initiative, project, or potentially hiring new people. Whenever you start out doing something, there is always an inherent risk. New things, new people, and new efforts are always difficult, and you may have undercalculated the costs and the inertia required for the effort. Many times in my life, I have been unwilling to admit that I was wrong and have paid a terrible price as I kept trying to defend my decision. I did not want to give up, and despite the fact that what I was engaged in was failing, I would not admit that and would keep throwing time, energy, and money at it. Backing no losers, to me, means recognizing early when you have a losing proposition and getting out before the costs get worse.
Now, it is hard to differentiate between perseverance and cutting your losses. I have learned to set expectations for initial success, and when I start an initiative and I hit those, then I know to keep pushing. If I do not even get close to my initial expectations, that is when I adopt the concept of backing no losers. Now, a loser can be a person (a boss, employee, politician), and a loser can be a company (a job, a partner, a client). Sometimes, a loser can be a way of thinking, such as an argument or a philosophy. Losers can also be practices or habits that you are trying to adopt. They may not be worth the effort. Here is something important; however, once I have decided something is worth investing in and have gained evidence that this is the case, then another principle kicks in, which is loyalty. I will talk about that in a few days.
Making no waves and backing no losers is about being judicious in your efforts. You should put your time and talent toward something that you will benefit from, avoid unnecessary distractions, and avoid backing things that will profit you very little. This is a utilitarian approach to life, true, but it is balanced out by other principles that hold equal or greater weight. Still, when thinking about where to spend your time and resources, this concept has served me well.
