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Government Relations: GROW - Government Advocacy

PMA Grassroots Employer Toolkit - 10 Principles for Advocacy Leadership

1. Leaders Build and Present a Clear Vision: Leaders may not always be 100% sure of where they want to go. However, true leaders recognize that if they don’t have a clear vision, they need to work with others to build one before embarking on a project. True leaders also understand how to present that vision clearly and concisely so that everyone knows where the organization is headed. In applying this to the advocacy world, make sure you are presenting a clear vision of your overall goal, whether it’s passage of a bill, facilitating the acceptance of new regulations or getting a grant for research and development. Remember that PMA's government affairs team can always help. E-mail them at grow@pma.com

2. Leaders Are Willing to Alter That Vision: If there are material reasons why the ultimate goal as originally outlined simply cannot be achieved, leaders will recognize that a change is needed. They will work with others to identify a new (and better) direction. For advocates, that means (for example) seeking a regulatory approach when a legislative avenue is closed. Or focusing on next year's round of funds when a grant request is denied.

3. Leaders Are Benevolent, not Dictators: Many people believe they are “leading” when they bark out orders based on some plan for success that they (and only they) have in mind. They may say “well, I’m the leader and I know the plan, so people should just do what I say.” This is the “because I said so” approach to leadership. It didn’t work for your parents when you were 12. It probably won’t work for you now (except in a few high-pressure situations usually involving either the military or rent-a-cops). In the advocacy world, this translates into the “you have to do what I say, because I pay your salary” argument that some advocates make. Actually, if you live in a U.S. House district, you pay 1/750,000th of a House member’s salary. That 23 cents isn’t going to get you very far.

4. Leaders Create Teams: It seems pretty obvious that if you don’t have other people involved in the effort, you’re leading a whole bunch of nothing. In the advocacy world that means building a team mindset into all of your efforts. How can you and the elected official you’re talking to work as a team? How can you work with other groups? How can you get teams of employees involved?

5. Leaders Focus: Part of the “vision-thing” is being able to maintain a focus on the end goal. It’s tempting to be distracted by setbacks, disagreements about process and outside stimuli (look -- a chicken!). True leaders concentrate on moving forward, even when they might have to shift the end goal (see number 2 above). In applying this to advocacy, this means putting aside differences that simply don’t matter when it comes to achieving the end goal. So what if you are working with an organization that you had a disagreement with ten years ago. Get over it and focus on your future goals together.

6. Leaders Provide Carrots and Sticks: Very few leaders have enough personal charisma or a cause that is “just right” to motivate followers without other incentives. Unless you’re Gandhi (or, on the scary side, Jim Jones), you should incorporate many inspiring carrots and a few scary sticks into your approach. In the advocacy world, this means that it is neither reasonable nor appropriate to expect people to do something because it is the “right thing to do.” Their definition of the “right thing” may be different from yours. How can you include some “what’s in it for me ‘carrots’” or some “what will happen to me ‘sticks’” to get them on board?

7. Leaders Work with Others According to Their Needs: True leaders know their team well enough to help each member along with the resources they need to be effective. In the advocacy world, that means providing some advocates with in-person trainings, some with online classrooms and some with just the space they need to do their own thing. You can find a tremendous amount of resources for your team at PMA's Advocacy Center. In addition, it means understanding the needs of your audience. If you’re trying to gain the attention of an elected official, think about what their needs are – and how you might be able to meet them. Can you be a resource? Can you help them move a pet issue of their own forward? Can you be a campaign supporter (either financially or in spirit)?

8. Leaders Give Credit: Almost every good leader thinks that “getting the credit” is far, far, far less important than “getting the job done.” True leaders spread the wealth when it comes to kudos – and limit playing the blame game when mistakes are made. For advocates, that means letting an elected official take credit for something that might have been your idea – or it means letting your coalition partners bask in the glow of your success.

9. Leaders Both Learn AND Teach: Any good leader will tell you that they learn from the people around them every day. They are never so set in their own ways that they can’t see something better when it’s presented to them. Then, once they’ve learned a better way, they share insights with others. For advocacy, that means that whenever we suffer a setback (which happens frequently, unfortunately), we should figure out what we can learn from that mistake – and move on.

10. Leaders Lead: Leaders really try to think ahead. They seek to be innovative, entrepreneurial and to anticipate the needs of their clients, customers or network. They open their eyes to new ideas and close their eyes to “but we’ve always done it this way.” They approach each challenge as an opportunity. And they embrace meaningful change like it’s their best friend.