Leading in Troubling Times

09 Oct 2025 10:13 AM | Anonymous

By Angela Gyurko, Secretary, LWV of Washington and Nominating Committee member

What does it mean to be a leader right now? When I’m not doing my League work, I am a playwright and a poet, and I recently wrote this short senryu to summarize how I feel: 

the worst stress

of the year

—now a weekly feature

When faced with the levels of stress we’re under, there’s often an instinct to nest, to stock the cupboard and the freezer and check in with the people we care about. But there’s something deeper within us, and that’s why each of us joined the League in the first place. We get refreshed by standing in community with people who believe in the League’s core mission, Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.

As we look at the news, we sometimes feel paralyzed; there is so much that needs fixing in the world. It’s easy to wonder, “Why do I think I can make a difference? What if I try to help and I make a mistake? What if I try to lead and no one takes me seriously?”  

Here’s the truth Each one of us already has the skills needed to lead. We know how to listen. We know how to take notes. We know how to ask others for help when we don’t know something. It’s a lot easier to lead when you’ve got the resources of a 105-year-old organization behind you. This is what I learned when I became the chair of the Jefferson County Member-at-Large Unit during the pandemic, after less than a year of membership in the League. 

In the League, no leader at any level is ever alone. The President’s group offers guidance to presidents and boards, Affinity Groups support treasurers, membership chairs, voter services leaders, and others, and MELD provides leadership development. Together, these resources give us the tools we need to lead. 

Still, I worried about applying for a leadership role at the state level. I had been leading a 28-member unit with no board and only three officers. Would my skills translate to anything at the state level?   

I am now four months into my state board service, and I can say with certainty that there is never just one path to the destination. Each of our lived experiences is unique, and the range of experience that lives on the LWVWA board is what makes it work so well. 

As you move through the coming months, think about the leadership opportunities in front of you. Leading might be on a local committee, or a position on your local board. It may be participating more in statewide affinity groups or committees and bringing the ideas you learn there back to your local League.  

Leading also might be serving on the LWVWA board. 

If you feel like now might be your time to stretch yourself and lead, I’m happy to talk. You can also reach out to MELD and learn about their opportunities to assist you on your journey. 

Leading in troubling times starts with knowing that you already have it in you to lead. 

State directors Nancy Halvorson (MELD, nhalvorson@lwvwa.org) and Sasha Bentley (sbentley@lwvwa.org) contributed to this essay. 

You can reach Angela Gyurko here 

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