Find your niche as an elected member

Personal brand coaching for marketers and elected Councillors. What a weird combo I hear you sigh! The reason? I was an elected councillor myself for 8 years. During this time I was vice-chair of planning committee, policy advisor to the leader of the council. I also secured £000s for local community projects and was Mayoress of Worthing 2016-17. I learned about life in the public sector through trial and error – my biggest regret was not hiring a personal coach experienced in local government when I was first elected.

So you’ve just been elected as district, borough or county councillor. Congratulations!

  • You’ve had your very first group meeting and met the other members in your group.
  • Perhaps you’ve met the officers.
  • Your photo, name and contact numbers appear on the council website.
  • You are already bombarded with emails
  • Are you wondering what you’ve let yourself in for?
  • Or are you so excited you can’t wait to get going?
  • You are now public property and it’s time to unleash your niche!
Remember seeing this sign?

Remember why you stood as a candidate?

Take a look at your campaign leaflet – what did you say you were going to do?

So back to the question, what is your niche as a newly elected councillor. Before you say, “I want to make a change”, “I want my town to be the best”. Stop! Everyone who is elected should want this, so this is not a niche.

What is your niche as a local government councillor?

How are you feeling right now as a newly elected member?

The Niche Nurturer® was a borough councillor for eight years and won two elections. She was the Mayoress of Worthing 2016-17, was Policy Advisor to the Leader (2 different leaders), and was also Vice-Chairman of the Planning Committee. Having secured £000s for her ward and approved £millions in planning applications. Fancy a slice of her success?

 Contact The Niche Nurturer® now to find out more about mentoring and coaching.

My approach

TOOL 1

Nurture your niche

You must find your niche as a councillor, or you will be left behind. The Niche Nurturer® will find your niche and will nurture it. Then you grow. Your niche will be determined by your own personal values, so even when the going gets tough, you will be able to maintain stamina, because you have found your why and your purpose.

Tool 2

Form strategic relationships

Once you have found your niche as a councillor, you will find it easier to form long lasting strategic relationships to enrich and empower your community. This will not only only strengthen your position in the next elections, but also may even present leadership opportunities.

TOOL 3

Speak with conviction

The Niche Nurturer® has been a member of Toastmasters International for many years. She is a now recognised as a Competent Communicator and has received Toastmasters Awards for Enthusiasm and many more. This combined with her eight years as a borough councillor, mayoress, business owner and charity founder means she has a breadth of experience when it comes to public speaking.

Tool 4

Enrich your community

This really should be Tool 1! This is why you were elected in the first place. With scare financial resources to go round, now is the time to be innovative and find ways to do more with less. Finding your niche will empower you to do this.

TOOL 5

Build resilience

There are trolls who are out there to make your life a misery. I’ve been there and can share lots of awful stories. Learn from my mistakes and avoid the pitfalls.

TOOL 6

Become a chair, cabinet member or even a leader

Within a few weeks of being elected, you will discover that there are leadership opportunities available. Unleashing and discovering your niche will expand your horizons as a local politician. You need to strengthen your strategic relationships and trust the right people.