In my last article, I went into how our teams at Larry Sharpe's campaign are structured. Now I want to go into how to find people for your team.
Because each team and Director is different, there will be different needs here. I can describe what works for me, and keep it somewhat broad.
Deputy Directors
*These will be people who demonstrate an ability to lead, and think outside of the box on solutions. They should be on board with your vision, in the Libertarian world, they have to be committed to our platform and principles. They should be a Subject Matter Expert in at least one area of policy, so that they understand how policy is constructed, and how to prove policy will work based in evidence and principle.Subject Matter Experts
- Due to the nature of SMEs, and their expertise, these may be the hardest to find. They should be someone with a deep knowledge of the subject or industry being discussed. The Libertarian Party and larger libertarian movement has a ton of these, we all know them. The key is convincing them to volunteer their time to construct policy. It's been my experience that the ones who work out best, are those who love bouncing their ideas across others, and are energized by new ideas, as well as the ones they currently hold. Subject matter experts we have drafted in the Sharpe Campaign are people like Dr. Kyle Varner (healthcare) and Tarnell Brown (economics). These people will not have to be at every meeting, and you may need to work around their schedules, but they are invaluable to constructing good policy based on experience and their own research. Many of these people enjoy the "high speed think tank" atmosphere and creative brainstorming that goes on in a policy group.
Analysts
- These are people who have an interest in how policy is created, have taken dives into various subjects with a wide array of application. They may be particularly suited for a type of policy, or have experience or knowledge in some areas more than others, that will determine which team they work with. These are your workhorses, so they have to have time to meet several times a week. Remember, in the LP, we're working with volunteers, so while we run a tight ship with high standards, keep in mind these folks are real people with real lives.
Your Policy Assistant
- This person is more like a Coordinator or Project Manager. You can train someone for this, but they must be organized, be able to deal with people, and understand how your team works/will work. This person will be doing all the "little stuff"and make sure things are on track, so you can do your job as a Director.
I will for completeness sake, and for candidates drafting their team, include the Director.
- Policy Director
- This person should be someone with a deep knowledge of how policy is constructed, a vast amount of knowledge in many areas, maybe an expert in one or two. This person has to see how it all fits together, that while you may be split into various teams, no team or subject exists in a vacuum, but can also see policy issues as a whole system, while dealing with discrete parts of policy, being aware of how it affects other policy. This is your "Big Picture" person. I almost describe this person as an engineer, and they are, they are a policy engineer, and understand the ways that the parts fit together, and can build another better machine using the principles of libertarianism, and evidence based practice.
Now how do we find these people?
Social media has been instrumental in connecting and finding analysts and subject matter experts. Your initial team of Directors/Deputies will probably be people you know, or had already in mind before embarking on this venture, but building a team out is difficult. Remember, half of your volunteers may drop out, so you need to find more people than you will probably need at first.
Keep an eye on Libertarian groups on Facebook, when you see someone that has good insight, isn't parroting everyone else, has put some deep thought into solving policy issues using libertarian solutions, you may have found your person. Don't be afraid to engage them a little, see how they react to questions, debate, see if they can defend their positions. You can find really good analysts there. They don't have to have ever worked on policy before, just have an eye and mind for good policy and a propensity to question potential consequences, both good and bad from policy.
Subject Matter Experts are people who generally are known for their expertise in a subject. I found Dr. Varner by seeing that he was speaking at several libertarian conventions on healthcare, and approached him about joining our team as an SME. If you have experience with the community, you will know who these people are. It's convincing them to give up a little of their time in service to spreading Liberty. Chances are, you can convince them with the prospect of being able to actually get their ideas out into the 'real world'
Let your Director do this recruiting. They know what they are looking for and what they will need to make your team successful.
If you do that, you'll have good team structure and talent to keep your "Policy Engine" running and your output high.