I mention it because the core competencies for becoming a
“go-to lawyer” are just as applicable to government affairs professionals. “Go-to lawyers are respectful yet not
intimidated; confident but not arrogant,” DiLucchio notes. “They are not only capable of understanding
the client's objectives, but also genuinely try to help him achieve them.”
“Being a go-to lawyer isn't about being the most
experienced, having the most responsibilities or holding the official client
relationship roles,” he also states.
“Top performance is, instead, a matter of legal skill, creativity,
engagement with the clients' problems, accessibility, enthusiasm, business savvy
and good service attitude.”
It is not a revelation to anyone who works in the government
affairs field that relationship development is an essential core
competency. Many government affairs professionals get hired
out of government positions not only because of the knowledge they possess, but
also because of the relationships they developed with key decision-makers.
But what many government affairs professionals that I speak
with don’t fully grasp is that relationship development, like a coin, has two
sides. On one side are the people you need
to know. On the other side are the
people that want to know – and need to know – you.
When your company or one of its lines of business is
developing a new product or service, are you an integral part of the long-term
strategic planning process, or do leaders come to you after the fact to
“check-the-box” for compliance purposes?
When your trade association is going through a major mission
change or reorganization, are you part of the team that shapes organizational
strategy and culture, or are you on the outside of the information barrier, and
presented with talking points after-the-fact simply to ensure uniformity of
messaging?
When your client is under scrutiny by a federal agency or
Congressional committee, are you asked to lead the strategy response, or are
you simply given messaging points to deliver?
And when regulations or legislation are being drafted that
impact your industry, do policymakers reach out to you for perspective and
advice, or are you one of many seeking information and perspective from those
policymakers?
The knowledge and social competencies that lead to desirable
private sector government affairs positions are rarely enough to sustain our
effectiveness in a highly competitive and rapidly changing marketplace. There are many social people in the
profession who struggle from the get-go to create real value for their
organizations.
The transition is particularly difficult for senior
political appointees and congressional staff who, by nature of their previous title
and position, are immediately identified as ‘go-to” leaders. But when out of government, those titles and
positions do not in and of themselves convey a “go-to” label.
To paraphrase DiLucchio, go-to government affairs
professionals are not anointed; they earn the moniker. They become trusted sources of advice both
internally to business and organizational leaders, and externally to
policymakers.
To earn the moniker and become a go-to leader, government
affairs professionals must excel at both sides of the relationship development
coin. That means being motivated and
strategic about their roles and responsibilities. And it means having both the politically
savvy and firm grasp of the technical matters that people depend on for sound
decision-making.
About the Author
Vincent Randazzo is
Principal and Founder of Capitol Knowledge, LLC, a government affairs and
leadership development consulting firm. He
is a certified executive
leadership coach, having completed an International Coach Federation-certified professional training program
in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance. Vince
has more than 30 years of extensive
professional, managerial and executive leadership experience in government,
business and public policy.
