Leadership or Lobbying: Acting From Conviction, Not Reaction

There’s a difference between leadership and lobbying, and right now, Maine’s aging system shows what happens when we confuse the two.

Lobbying reacts. It waits to see where the wind blows and then rushes to get behind it. It’s about optics, timing, and influence. It says, “Let’s do something that looks responsive.” But reaction isn’t reform — it’s a press release.

Leadership acts from conviction. It takes the long view, not the loud one. It listens to families before donors. It builds systems that work in crisis and calm. And it doesn’t wait for permission to do the right thing.

That difference matters, because the aging world is full of people who meant well but reacted poorly. Families get stuck in the middle of policies built on urgency rather than understanding. They don’t need another “task force.” They need people who know what they believe about aging and will stand by it — even when it’s inconvenient.

Conviction is quiet but relentless. It’s the family who plans before the discharge call comes. It’s the policymaker who reforms funding before the next facility closes. It’s the business owner who chooses sustainability over spin.

The leaders who will fix this system aren’t the ones chasing headlines — they’re the ones building clarity. Because when we act from conviction, not reaction, we don’t just manage chaos. We prevent it.