Yes. He handed me a spine. I’ll say that again. Yes. A spinal cord. A protester once handed me a spinal cord. There I was, offering a friendly smile, and the guy hands me a model spinal cord – thinking he was about to embarrass me into agreeing with him on an issue. You haveContinue reading “Stories from Congress: the one where a guy handed me a spine”
Tag Archives: Campaigns
A Beginner’s Guide to Building Credibility: Stop Using This One Word if You Want to Win Champions to your Cause
Effective advocates hunt for opportunities to build their credibility.
Making Sense of, And Moving On From, the 2022 Midterm Elections
By a bit of good luck, I’ve been reading Originals by Adam Grant in the last few days. As a book about original thinking, personal development and change-making, it might not immediately strike you as a relevant read at election time. But here I am, finding myself gleaning important reminders at a time when soContinue reading “Making Sense of, And Moving On From, the 2022 Midterm Elections”
Keeping Your Head on Election Day
But Election Day isn’t a finish line – it’s a starting block. It’s the anticipation of the starting gun for a foot race. It’s getting into position to act. Successful advocates distinguish themselves by realizing that, and visualizing how they’ll react when the starting gun fires.
Success in Advocacy: The Power Behind Your Personal Brand
Focus on serving your issue in a genuine way, with warmth and purpose and you will find your audience.
Success in Advocacy: “Just be Human”
These are the basics, the fundamentals, any advocate needs to find long term success. Basically, just be human.
Success in Advocacy: Right-sizing your wins
… no matter what happens on the battlegrounds of politics, successful advocates have to bring their causes forward in the reality of governance.
Not Ashamed: Why I’m Proud to be a Lobbyist
It never fails. When I’m out and about with other lobbyists, I see it happen – just as soon as the very first stranger asks “so, what do you do?” In that moment, almost everybody dodges the question. Unlike so many other industries, we seem to feel compelled to hide our work. We use funContinue reading “Not Ashamed: Why I’m Proud to be a Lobbyist”
A Different Thought from the Shooting in Texas
Originally I had a much different post in mind for this week. But the events in Uvalde, Texas are weighing heavily on me this evening so I’ll beg your forgiveness for a brief diversion. When I started this blog, the mission I had in mind was quite simple: make the intangible work of advocacy justContinue reading “A Different Thought from the Shooting in Texas”
Standing Out in the Crowd
Yesterday, I posted this video across my social channels. That’s right. As much as we disapprove of how Congress is doing their job, there’s another- equally important – disconnect to consider as well. Typical advocates are not government affairs professionals – and they shouldn’t be. In every meeting with a decision maker, the interests ofContinue reading “Standing Out in the Crowd”
Part of the Possible 