9 Things I wish I knew Before Becoming and Officer at My Local

9 Things I wish I Knew Prior to Becoming an Officer at my Local.

I was asked by a number attendees at the IATSE Young Workers convention held in Calgary in July 2024 to share my Speaking notes regarding the 9 things that I wish I knew before I ran for office at my Local.  

My name is, Damian Petti, and I am President of IATSE Local 212 in Calgary and an International VP for IATSE. I was a young worker by most  definitions when I became President of Local 212 way back in 1998. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the career that I have had so far, but find myself often saying: If I knew in 1998 what I know now after 26 Years as Local President and 21 Years as International VP I would have accomplished so much more. I wish to share vital things I  learned along the way.

Here are the 9 things I wish I knew as a young officer of an IATSE Local:

    1)  « Sine dubio habent penne de jure est »

AKA: "Don't judge a bird by its feathers" or (loosely translated) "Even Jerks Have Rights"

     No matter what your opinion of a person or their circumstance, their rights must be upheld at all costs no matter what. Get all sides of the story before deciding how to manage a situation or what the outcome could, let alone should, be. Investigate now, decide later. 

        2)    Choose Your Battles. 

     Play the long game, a series of small victories can lead to large outcomes over time. Don’t get discouraged or blame yourself when you don’t achieve a goal. You cannot change the world in a single day. At my Local, we had an organizing drive that took 24 years. Our goal to build a new building took 7 years and it was very tempting to give up along the way. 

     Don't  take on too many (or the wrong) battles. Research and consider probable outcomes. Get legal advice and know your odds of success before launching any missiles. 

        3)     Own your Stuff!

Its really important to be humble and admit a mistake, and apologize. True leaders often do this. Humility will give you more integrity and respect which often causes others to support you when it counts. If you “own your sh#t” and admit a mistake, you can reset, learn and move on. As long as you learn from your failures, they are healthy. Learn to forgive yourself and move to the next challenge.

        4)    Pay attention to the people who are getting the work done and surround              yourself with go-getters.                      

Spend way more time with the hard workers than you do with toxic complainers. The hard workers in your organization actually need your encouragement, understanding and support. Give (rather than take) credit for their hard work. You have a lot to learn from them.

      5)    Take care of yourself

     Take breaks and days off and find healthy stress relievers. Having a person who you trust to confide in is important. Find a supportive person to vent to. Don’t overdo it to the point that you put a strain on the relationship. Listen to and take their advice if it’s good. Be there for them when it’s their turn to vent. 

     Sleep is way more important to the success of your career than you think. Unlike working on the floor, where you always have the end of a project to rely on so you can recover, this movie never ends so don't overdo it in terms of workload.

            6)  Don’t let the 5% most vocal members consume 80% of your time 

     At most locals, you will be hearing very regularly from a very vocal 5% or so of the Membership. It is important to put things into balance and realize that there is a more supportive “silent majority”; their collective rights far exceed those of the 5%. The squeaky wheel should not get all the (proverbial) oil. You must hear them out, investigate and preserve their rights but not at the expense of the other 95% of the Members you serve. The 5% are entitled to your time and energy proportionately for the overall good of the membership.

            7)    Share what you learn to benefit others

It is not a competition, the things we learn should be shared to help others. These jobs are really hard and we all need helpful information. Sharing knowledge builds powerful relationships and you will benefit from the times people return the favour. 

        8)    Emails start wars and in-person meetings end wars 

A phone call is better than a text and an in-person meeting is the ultimate. The pandemic trained people to avoid in person meetings but in-person meetings are where we get he best results particularly when it comes to bargaining. Deciding between text, an email or a phone call on a controversial issue, the phone call is ALWAYS the right answer. With email, there is always a temptation to reply instantly. It is usually better to take your time unless something actually requires your urgent attention. 

        9)       Get Really Good at Saying "NO"

This may be the most important one. Saying "yes" is easy, it will help get you elected but if you cant say "no" you are not going to do very well in a leadership role at a Local. I have worked with people who have a very difficult time saying "no" and they don't last long. There is an art to rejection and in negotiations, you absolutely have to find creative ways to reject proposals that do not serve your  member's best interests. There are a multitude of ways to say "no" and you will need to know lots of them.

                      T-Shirt for the Young Workers Conference.  Designed by Local 212 Graphic Artist, Spencer Smith.