The Business of Politics

Often, you hear politicians exerting that they are the best candidate for a position because of their "business" experience. Saying you can run government because you have experience running a business is like saying you know how to drive a car because you have experience riding a bike. Sure, they might both be forms of transportation, but that is where the similarities end.

When you run a business, you are the boss—compromise and consensus building is simply not crucial. Take Steve Jobs, for example. Recent articles indicate that he runs Apple like a dictator, firing people on the spot for mistakes and micromanaging every aspect of the company right down to the buses used to transport employees. Given Apple's success, I am certain that Steve Jobs is an excellent CEO. The bottom line is that he makes Apple plenty of money, and, for the most part, that is all that matters. But would we want him as a politician? Would we want a Mayor or City Councilor who exerts that type of control and power?

Ultimately, your goal in a business is to make money. In government, it is to provide necessary services to the greatest number of people. And sometimes those services will not be cost effective. Unlike business, you can't decide to eliminate trash collection services just because you aren't getting a decent ROI (return on investment). You can't eliminate ambulance services to sections of the city simply because it doesn't fit your business plan. In business, customer satisfaction might be a factor in the equation—after all, customers must be satisfied if they are going to come back. But in government, customer satisfaction is the goal.

In politics, employees don't work for you; you work for citizens. And citizens like to complain a lot. They are quick to distrust you, and will assume you haven't done anything, if you haven't solved their problem. There is always a reporter or adversary lurking in the wings, waiting to tear you down. While a business leader can ignore pesky issues like voter popularity, a politician must be constantly aware not only of his actions, but of the perception of his actions. A politician must listen to all sides, making sure that everyone feels that they have been heard. Frequently, a politician must choose between competing sides, ensuring that one side will leave feeling that their rights or interests have been trampled. A good politician finds compromises that allow all sides to feel vindicated.

I am not saying that politicians shouldn't have some business experience. Everyone wants our elected officials to be able to balance the budget, and to have at least some idea of how businesses function. The last three mayors in Tulsa have touted their business experience as what qualified them first and foremost to be mayor, yet their success and failure seem to stem more from their political abilities. Given the current dysfunction in City Hall, perhaps what this city needs is someone who is first and foremost a politician.