This is a quote that I heard from the new freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I don’t know if she quoted someone else or if she made that up on her own. Regardless of what you think about her or her politics, the statement is very true.
If you are lost in the woods, you can end up walking around in circles if you do not know where you are going. “If you are going to make progress, you have to declare your North Star”. You have to say to yourself this is north, this is east, this is west and civilization is this way, and stick to it. Do not delay making changes because that would be like saying you are lost yet still walking in an undetermined location. This also applies to making personnel changes.
Just like in a political campaign you can’t just be scattered, unorganized, not knowing what is coming up or where your campaign is headed. Declaring your North Star in a campaign would be the equivalent of evaluating your circumstances and understanding the work that needs to be done. Once you get your mind focused on where you need to go, make it happen.
Be informed. Get organized. Win your race. You need to take a strong assessment of what your weaknesses are, what your strong points are, and why you are not doing better than you should be doing. Once you have made the assessment it is time to make progress. Set out doing things the right way, not the way that you have been doing them. Making progress is moving the campaign in a new direction. Hopefully, there will be enough time to turn things around so you can win.