Rahm Emanuel did, years ago, what very few people are capable of. He set his sights on one job, and one job only. Even as he was elected to the House of Representatives and later became the Chief of Staff in President Obama’s White House, Emanuel was open about what he has famously called “the only job he’d ever want.” Rahm wanted to be the Mayor of Chicago and he made no apologies. And after a contested run for office that included disputes of his residency and character attacks galore, he prevailed and took at seat in his very own dream job last year.
On Monday, a new profile of Rahm Emanuel hit stands in the pages of Michigan Avenue Magazine. Editor Susanna Negovan calls this issue her “crowning achievement as an editor.” Together with her husband and WGN Anchor/Reporter Tom Negovan, Negovan and Michigan Avenue have given us a true personal profile of the sometimes controversial and always opinionated Mayor Emanuel.
In his conversations with Negovan, Mayor Emanuel talks openly about his focus on getting things done quickly. He says, “I’m driven by, to quote Dr. Martin Luther King and his speech on the Mall, the ‘fierce urgency of now.’ I cannot wait another year and allow a child to be caught in a school system that for five years running has been on the watch list with no prospect of getting off it.” It’s a fantastic piece to choose from the famed MLK speech – the “fierce urgency of now.” What a phenomenal idea.
Inspired by the Michigan Avenue cover story and Rahm’s passion for his job and for Chicago, I too will work to be driven by the “fierce urgency of now.” Will you? What can you do today…..not next week, next month or next year….to change your world, your career, your company? Do it. With the urgency of today behind you.
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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