by Delegate Scott Taylor
Watching what has happened to our party since the shellacking we put on Democrats during the 2009 election–with the McDonnell, Bolling, Cuccinelli ticket–has left many to wonder, opine, or vent about the undeniable funk we are in. It’s time to get off the ground, dust off our knees, and move forward.
Throughout my life, I have had the honor and pleasure to have served on high-performing teams. From our ragtag, redneck wrestling team that went from no skill and one win to undefeated in a few years, to serving in the Navy SEAL teams, to being part of the House of Delegates’ team fighting Medicaid expansion last year, I have a fairly good understanding of how they work. I’ll highlight three general, but crucial, elements here.
It begins with culture. When a man arrives at Navy SEAL training he typically has his own reasons: proving something to himself or others, a desire to go to war, Hollywood, etc. But the reality is, whatever his reasons are initially, if he is still there at the end, he has submitted to serving something greater than himself. Those who stay would rather sacrifice themselves than let teammates down. Friends, that is very powerful. The men are diverse, from different backgrounds, rich or poor, educated or street smart, athletic or uncoordinated, Republican or Democrat (but mostly Republican). Sure, sometimes there are brawls to settle differences or arguments. However, the common purpose drives those who want to be there to put aside opinions, have each others’ backs, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder to achieve mission success. Make no mistake about it, while it is a hierarchical system, SEALs are not afraid to speak their minds and are heard within the group.
Bonds are created in high-performing teams, and are made training and fighting together, not bitching about each other’s differences. It is the understanding that you are all in it together and need each other to succeed that mandates working together and forms deep relationships that supersede dissimilarities. Last year, I witnessed this first-hand in the House of Delegates when our very diverse caucus came together as one, all spectra of our party, and held the line on Medicaid Expansion. It was a beautiful thing. We were unflappable.
Lastly, to the extent possible, egos need to go. There is just no place for anchoring egos in a high-performing team. In the SEAL Teams, egos are healthy and big. If we can do it, then the Republican Party of Virginia can do it. Many of us need to take a good hard look in the mirror. We need to ensure our personal contributions uplift the team, rather than being potentially destructive. We must be empathetic and understand our internal diversity. There is common ground and room for everyone. Grassroots, establishment, conservative are very subjective words and mean different things to different people at different times; there is no monopoly.
We must realize 80 percent of something is a hell of a lot better than 0 percent. I don’t agree with my mother on many things, but I love her deeply. We must work on forging our culture, creating more bonds and fighting together, and getting rid of destructive egos. There is blame on all sides, but let us think of our future. We control the vast majority of House seats around the commonwealth and most Senate seats. Imagine leveraging this. Whether you are a party-elected leader, people elected leader, grassroots, or donor, everyone plays an integral part and all should be leveraged, if we want to be a high-performing team and achieve success.
Let’s not kid ourselves; good messages are essential. Our message is a winner and we need Republican ambassadors to work together to spread it all across the commonwealth. We should show up everywhere–religious events, business events, LGBT events, black and white and brown events. Everywhere. Our principles, values, and messengers can reach people in every group and there is no excuse not to. Let’s hold the Senate this year and crush the next state-wides, and let’s do it together.
Delegate Scott Taylor represents the 85th District in Virginia Beach.
