Paul Thissen: Innovation in Action

The Elements of Leadership

Paul’s Vision for Leading Minnesota as the next Governor

The first thing is passion. And by passion I don’t mean fire-breathing rhetoric or rigid dogmatic ideology, which has actually blocked our progress on major issues over the years. Rather, I mean a genuine passion for getting tangible good results, no matter who receives credit, and no matter how demanding the process of getting there. Showing that kind of passion is a powerful way to lead by example.

Second is tackling the bread-and-butter issues at a very detailed level of knowledge. Health care, education, energy, the environment these are all complex problems with many moving parts. Some public officials seem to find complexity boring or tedious. Luckily, I’m not one of them.

Third: persistence, and taking the long-term view. Leading Minnesota means relentlessly focusing on improving how our state works, not just for next year, but in ways that will stand the test of time. In the legislation that I’ve pushed for, the common thread is the need to begin dealing, right now, with issues that will be dominating Minnesota’s agenda ten and twenty years down the line.

And fourth is a talent for listening and consensus-building. No governor develops and executes reforms all by himself. Leadership means having a constant hunger for good ideas. And not just from friends or from within the party or the political community, but from everyone throughout Minnesota. And then leadership means taking the best of those ideas and putting them into action.

With genuine passion, knowledge, persistence, and listening, we can do great things in our state in the next decade. I’m Paul Thissen, and I want to be your next Governor.