With Iowa behind us and the New Hampshire primary tomorrow, everyone I know who’s remotely interested in politics was tuned in for the Republican and Democratic candidate debates, sponsored by ABC News and Facebook, that took place this weekend.   Myself included.

A huge issue was likeability.  After Iowa voters said that they found Hillary Clinton remote and cold, Clinton was asked to set aside discussion of her credentials to explain why people found her less likeable than her rivals. On the Republican side of things, the charismatic minister Mike Huckabee has captured the imagination of millions despite regularly extolling bizarre and unworkable ideas like abolishing the IRS and the use of foreign oil. 

I found myself analyzing my own motivations for voting the way I’m planning on voting (I’m an Obama supporter).  I genuinely do believe that Clinton has the best resume and, from an experience perspective, is most qualified to run our country.  On every issue from foreign policy to healthcare, she can cite specific examples of how she’s implemented change and moved particular initiatives forward.  I believe her when she said that “words are not action and as beautifully presented and as passionately felt as they are, they are not action.  What we’ve got to do is translate talk into action, and feeling into reality.”  I feel the exact same way, so why am I so hesitant to support Clinton?

If I’m being honest, it’s because there’s something about her I don’t like.  And it just goes to show that an individual may be a perfect match for a job experience-wise, but if she isn’t likeable, it probably won’t matter.  That’s just human nature, and even when we get burned, we continue to base our desire to support or hire someone based on whether we’d like to go get a beer with him (remember George Bush in 2000).  So this year, I advise you to take a hard look at yourself and determine if your temperament and interpersonal skills are helping or hindering your career progress.  Because I can assure you that they’re doing one or the other.