How do I wish a country’s president to think? (VIII). Learn to discern before choosing your president.
Good morning. This is my last publication in relation to the saga “How do I wish a country´s president to think?”- It is the turn to close the epic, with the sub-topic: “Learn to discern before choosing your President”.
Many of us do a certain type of analysis before deciding which candidate is the better one, according to our own mental frames. But traditionally, in El Salvador, many humble and low-income citizens have selected the contestant for the incorrect reasons. I have seen people who concede their powerful vote to the ones who brought them hats, t-shirts, caps, tamales, and chocolate, merchandising stuff, etc. So sad. That is not good. We have to start to do discernment before choosing our presidential preferred candidate. We need to discern first. Our vote is secret and powerful.
Let´s start. What is discernment? Discernment is the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. Discernment is a mental power to see what is not evident to the average mind. This word discernment stresses accuracy and implies to search beyond what is obvious or superficial.
It is not difficult to compare presidential aspirants based on subjective reasons. But the objectivity of their promises must be considered. As a result, we must ask ourselves more questions to discern than just to compare our presidential runners. A comparison is just the beginning. The first basic step in our quest for discernment is to get informed. We need to do research, to learn, to understand, to know what the promises of each candidate are. And in consequence, we recommend at least to compare the vows or speech promises of each presidential figure. Let´s follow the next four steps.
FIRST. Let´s do a comparative strategic actions matrix.
On paper, we must write (you can use excel too), whatever they have said they will do. Find the government plan in the website of each of the candidates. This is the minimum thing an aspirant must upload on the internet. We must ask ourselves first if each candidate has introduced us a formal strategy for his government. Without a Government plan with strategic actions, we are lost. How can we vote for someone who has not told us what he will do? If the presidential contender is serious, he must show us his capacity of the organization of ideas with a consistent presidential strategic plan. I will repeat it: The minimum thing a presidential aspirant is on duty to do is to show us his strategic plan with a detailed list of activities.
Using the strategic actions matrix above, we have classified the government areas in the first column. We proceed to fill each of the cells, by writing each of the strategic actions promised by each of the candidates. Once you fill the whole table matrix, you will be able to see the whole map of promises in one page. Next, to each strategic action or task, you should value or appraise it or rate it (this is according to your personal view). You can rate it with icons of happy or sad faces. You can rate it with a number of points. You can rate it with checks or crosses, etc. Feel free to choose your most preferred rating system.
SECOND. Let´s do a Presidential Thinking Matrix.
Once we finish with the strategic actions’ comparative matrix, we proceed to do a Presidential thinker matrix. Look at the proforma below. Read the meaning of each thinking frame, and try to fill the table with an icon, points, etc.
THIRD. Let´s find out how each presidential aspirant will finance his plan?.
In addition, we also need to ask ourselves how each presidential candidate will finance his promises. With taxes? With international cooperation funds? With their own state companies (if the government still has companies and are not privatized yet), or with debt? In the case of international cooperation, we need to ask ourselves from where will this money come?
FOURTH. Let´s understand who are each candidate sponsors.
Finally, we must consider who are the sponsors behind the political campaigns of each candidate. And understand why these companies or wealthy individuals are supporting each of the contestants. Each political party has sponsors. There is a flow of money that is used to finance the merchandising, the TV and radio advertising, and every single movement and visit that each presidential nominee does. Sometimes each of the candidates is his or her own self-sponsor. The transparency of the financial support behind each political party is decisive. Otherwise, we can end up choosing a candidate that is related to crime organization sponsors, or even narco-traffic phantom patrons or money flows from dictators of distant lands. The last thing we want is to choose a presidential contestant with crooked financial backers!. We need to know who are the sponsors of our presidential candidates. With accuracy, not based on gossip or rumors.
FIFTH. Let´s discern.
This final step is the wrap-up. We see both matrixes already prepared. As mentioned before, for each of the matrixes, instead of using icons, you can add a number of points, and then sum all the points for each contestant. Whatever rating mechanism you use, we reassure you it will be easier for you to discern, and make a solid thoughtful decision. In addition, you can add more variables of discernment. Maybe your guidance is to vote for the most ethical of the candidates, and the relative weight you will assign to God´s Centered Thinking in the second matrix is your most important test. And it is fine. Remember it is your choice.
In the context of El Salvador Presidential elections, which will be celebrated tomorrow, I truly hope this saga would have been a blessing for Salvadorans. Feel free to print both tables or matrixes using the PDF format. Click here: Eliescalante How would I like my president to think-learn to discern. You can use Microsoft Excel to fill them, and expand both models to load all the characteristics. Rate each of the strategic actions. Rate each of the thinking skills. Assign points. Approve. Disapprove. You can do it with your friends or family. But try to do it. Please. Let´s do it. An educated country is able to discern. We must discern before delivering our votes. Not just compare but discern with trustful information. It will take some time for all of us to get used to discern. But at least let´s try.
As our final pieces of advice, we have to do a reflection. We can´t continue voting for the party flag, why? because each candidate is different. Every single presidential aspirant is unique. That is why we have to stop to vote for the party flags or ideologies but we certainly need to make an effort to vote for the presidential candidate (the person himself). In addition, international cooperation will never come if we don´t show ourselves as a consistent country. No one wants to invest in an unpredictable, unstable and unsafe country. We need to stop ideological polarization and provoke an alliance between the left and right extremes. A government with a pluralist and mature left-right coalition is demanded.
Remember you vote is secret and powerful.
Blessings, Thank you.
Disclaimer: All the presentation slides shown on this blog are prepared by Eleonora Escalante MBA-MEng. Nevertheless, all the pictures or videos shown on this blog are not mine. I do not own any of the lovely photos or images posted unless otherwise stated.
Eleonora Escalante Strategy 