4 of the most common GR mistakes that organizations make:
When it comes to GR best practices, its easy to lose perspective and become biased. Ask yourselves objectively, do we see ourselves in any of these scenarios?
- THE GR HANDSHAKE APPROACH: Most organizations think that knowing a few people in government (at some level) is actually undertaking government relations. This is akin to believing that all of the different levels, departments, arms and officials within government are aligned, communicate well and often, that they know what the others are ‘up to’ and that they’re working together towards the same ends.
- THE OSTRICH APPROACH: Ever hear the expression ‘head down, nose clean’? Successful leaders know that relying upon the status quo to continue in any sector or environment creates a high-risk internal narrative: “We’ll just focus on our own operation, ignore what’s happening out there, stay under the radar, and we’ll be safe.” If you avoid looming competitive threats (and that’s exactly what a lack of an active government relations strategy is) you may feel more safe, but you’re not: you’re woefully unprepared.
- THE ‘I’M A TAXPAYOR’ APPROACH: When the gears of government get stuck, many senior leaders can inadvertently increase risk by taking matters into their own hands. Marching into an official or senior beaurocrat’s office and banging on the desk, sending angry emails or leaving incredulous voicemails can alienate you from those you rely on to solve the problem, and expecting government to react to you your demands can actually make things worse.
- THE ‘WE’VE GOT THIS TOO’ APPROACH: It is still incredible how often very successful companies and leaders believe their expertise, brilliance and success at their own craft can be applied to solve a government relations crisis. As with all complex systems, difficult challenges, and nuanced issues, if government relations were truly simple, or easy there’d be no need for experts like us. Like what you and your team do, government relations is a highly nuanced, involved and complicated skillset. The fixes aren’t always expensive or lengthy to those outside the system, but you should rely on trusted experts who know the local players and landscape, and deeply understand how things work, or it can cost you dearly.
We’ve got good news, no matter where you’re at in this scenario, we can REMEDY that! Click here to send us a private email and we’ll follow up with a call for a brief discussion to see where we can be of service.
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