Aretha Got It Right: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

By Constance Campanella, President and CEO

At a recent conference of state Attorneys General, a corporate advocate referred to the assembly of almost 30 state AG’s as the “farm team.”   It was meant to juxtapose AG’s against Governors and was intended as a compliment. 

Unfortunately, as a compliment, the reference fell flat.   Actually, it fell right through the floor.   AG’s were offended to be referred to as a “farm team” at their own meeting. 

I also have occasion to work with someone (NOT a client) who constantly refers to state legislators as Members of Congress or State Congressmen.    Despite repeated corrections, the reference persists.    

For as long as I have been in state and local government affairs, I’ve dealt with the fact that the federal arena enjoys higher status.    It is just the way it is. 

And, sometimes, those who toggle between the vaulted chambers of the US Congress and our tiny world of  50 STATES, get confused.   That’s understandable.   Hey, we all make mistakes.

But, as professionals, it is our responsibility to ensure that the individuals we work with on behalf of our organizations or clients know that they enjoy our respect.      

And, it works both ways. 

If you Show Respect, you can Gain Respect. 

My definition of lobbying has long been the “Delivery of Respected Messages. “

When I teach about lobbying, I talk about each of the main words in that definition:  Delivery, Respected and Messages and what they represent.

“Delivery” comprises everything from timeliness, methods of communication, access, relationships and responsiveness.   

“Messages” embraces content, values, negotiating stances, political pressures and perspective.  

“Respected” is the fiber that holds it all together.   Absent a respected messenger or a respected client, nothing works.     A well-delivered, well timed message from a disreputable messenger is a waste of time.   

Fortunately, having a disreputable client is not usually the problem.  More frequently, it is the case that a lobbyist or their client is a stranger and must first acquire credibility and respect in order to be effective.   

As consultants,  we loan some of our respected status to clients while helping them  establish their own positive relationships with government officials.    Clients are not “going in cold” because we have laid a foundation.     

But, you cannot loan what you do not own! 

Obviously, in-house lobbyists or state government relations managers must likewise be respected and given the amazing turnover rate among state officials, all of us are constantly in the process of building new relationships and sustaining old ones.     

If you are responsible for 5-10 or more states, that’s really hard work and often taken completely for granted.    

Regardless of your role in State Government Relations, here are some suggestions for earning R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Research
Learn about your advocacy targets.  Learn about the culture and the processes of the governing body.   Learn the lingo, the culture, the Do’s and Don’ts and the Case Studies. Never go in cold.   

Expert

Bring something to the table besides a winning smile.  Know your company, business, industry.   Be valuable because you are more than just a hand-shaker.   Always be prepared to explain what other states or cities have done.  It is the number one question lawmakers ask when confronted with a new topic. 

Share

Beyond being an issue expert, being “in the know” is another way to ensure that people return your phone calls and seek your involvement.   Someone who can help government officials understand how an issue is being debated, who are the opponents and proponents and other forces at work is highly valued as long as the “sharing” is substantive and accurate.   This is not about gossip. 

Power

Lobbyists have power  when they can bring sides together, when they direct grassroots resources in an issue campaign, when they have relationships that put their clients “at the table,” when they help keep friends and allies in office and when their knowledge and expertise is sought after.   Being powerful should be one of your goals. 

Executives

Participation in government matters by CEO’s and other high-up executives is essential, especially when dealing with Governors and Mayors.   It should be a goal to encourage this participation.  Also,  when the senior executives get first-hand experience of working with government, they often become more passionate supporters of government relations. 

Coordination

It usually falls to state government relations executives to bring together the disparate parts of an organization (company, association, coalition)  to reach a decision about a policy.   Being able to do that – repeatedly, reliably and in a timely manner – is a great skill and much appreciated and valued by government players.    

Trust

Last letter.   Most important.    You must be trusted and trustworthy.  Make promises and keep them.  If you make mistakes, correct them.   And, do not ever ask a public official to take a position you are not prepared to defend.   

R.E.S.P.E.C.T., that is what it means to me.

By Constance Campanella, President and CEO

What I Did At The Summer Groups Meetings (And What I Need To Do Now…)

The passing of Labor Day signals the unofficial end to summer and a recommitment to the work we neglected over the last three months while vacationing and shuttling kids to baseball and summer camps.  For state government affairs professionals, summer also meant spending a great deal of time traveling the country to attend the state and local officials Groups meetings in locations such as Louisville, Portland (Maine), San Diego, Toronto and even Whitefield, New Hampshire. 

Attending these meetings is a big commitment of resources, and perhaps more important, your time.  As you think back on the Group meetings you attended, did they help set the stage for a successful 2011?  And, what value are you returning to your organization in exchange for all of those airline miles you accrued?  Now is the perfect time to take stock of the Groups work you performed this summer.

All of your Groups participation should return tangible results to your organization or your advocacy efforts.  If they do not, why are you attending the meetings?   Your Groups relationship-building, messaging and advocacy should all be supporting your ground game (ie., your work in the state capitals).  Continuity of your participation with the Groups and their constituents is important to any successful Groups program.  Critical to that continuity is that follow-up you perform after, and in-between, the meetings.

Relationships. Who did you add to your rolodex this summer?  Who can you call upon during the busy legislative session season to help you? Even in the climate of increased travel restrictions on policymakers, the Groups meetings held this summer offered very good opportunities to begin building relationships with policymakers and staff, especially at the regional meetings where the travel challenges for policymakers are fewer.  There are few better places than a Groups forum to identify and meet the “champions” for your issue or the upcoming advocacy campaigns – these like-minded policymakers are speaking at the issue panels and attending the policy sessions you care most about.  Frequently, the Groups staff will help them find you.

You do not want to lose those connections you made, or the relationships you revisited at the meetings, even if they are now one or two months in the past.  If you have not already done so, develop a plan to reconnect with these policymakers and stay in touch.  Email them or call and ask how you can assist them.  Most policymakers want to hear from you – you and your organization can represent a resource to them or provide expertise on an issue down the road.  And remember that the best relationships are those made when you do not need one, and always before the busy session season starts.

Awareness Raising And Messaging. You managed to get your boss or one of your organization’s policy wonks on an issues panel at one of the larger legislative meetings, such as the NCSL Legislative Summit or ALEC Annual Meeting – so what now?  The Groups meetings represent economical opportunities to educate and motivate policymakers and raise your organization’s profile.  But thoughtful follow-up is necessary to ensure that the messaging from July still resonates through the chaos of the elections and the holidays.  Contact those policymakers who attended the Groups meeting, or the specific issues panel, and provide them with regular updates to your messaging, news about your organization and other positive press.  How to reach those policymakers? The Group whose meeting you attended has a registration list with contact information – ask them for it.  Add these policymakers to your external distribution lists or create a “friends” list of like-minded policymakers with whom you want to regularly communicate – a list that will continue to grow as you add interested policymakers.

Your Policy Victories.  Engaging the Groups policymaking processes and getting a “win” for your organization can be very satisfying.  But it is unlikely to yield more than satisfaction unless you leverage that policy success.  Groups’ policies are just that: policies, suggestions to their constituents or even options.  They are not laws, nor are they regulations.  The burden is now on you to ensure that the policymakers you target are made aware of that “included” piece of Suggested State Legislation, that favorable ALEC model law or the resolution from the recent ECOS meeting that you helped to shape.  While the Groups routinely share their policymaking efforts with their own constituent members and state and federal colleagues, they are unlikely to promote it on your behalf.  Again, the follow-up is critical.  Integrate that policy success into your advocacy efforts, messaging and other preparation for 2011, especially if you engaged the Group to support state or federal advocacy efforts.  Finally, take advantage of the policy success to support your relationship-building efforts within that Group and to enhance your organization’s profile among the policymakers you care most about.