areas of expertise
Traditional politicians are struggling to build appealing campaigns and compete with the rise of charismatic populist rivals and youthful grassroots faces. From modern politicians, constituents are looking for a relatable image, not ivory-tower experts who tell them what to do. Politicians nowadays are expected to respond to any political event on social media promptly.
Moreover, politicians are expected to keep up a high level of engagement with their communities, not only to inform but also to gather ideas. Political communication campaigns are no longer one-way routed; they need to be designed to invite supporters to engage in debate and feel one with the politician. My job is to help those change makers to see engagement as an opportunity, not to lose trust with their constituencies, and to stay faithful to their promises.
Likewise, interest groups struggle to engage with politicians to make their needs visible, as the level of political scrutiny is too high and politicians fear not living up to their promises, fearing they may not be electable. Interest groups need dynamic and cross-board engagement strategies tailored to their goals. My job is to craft these based on the political context and to align them with the political needs of policymakers.
Public affairs Engagement
The term organisational development is often used in the corporate sector. Usually, it is easy to reject this foreign concept from the perspective of political parties or non-governmental organisations. Yet every organisation needs a structure and processes to support the accomplishment of its goals. Recently, we have seen how more and more civic movements have decided to take a step forward and become an organisation. We can also see how more civic actors choose to enter the political arena. Nevertheless, we see the common mistake of imitating existing structures of old political parties or old traditional NGOs.
The reality is that traditional structures and processes do not work for every organisation. Only a few organisations are lucky enough to survive organisational imitation and align their values with it. Organisations and processes need to reflect the values and mission of the people working in them. To create a good organisational development framework, each political organisation should think first of its values and then map how those can be translated into processes and hierarchies that satisfy all members. New political organisations require tailored solutions, but must also be aware of best practices for developing their staff, who are often comprised of graduates or volunteers. Best practices can enable the development of tailored frameworks to utilize staff, data, and resources more effectively. Thus, by accepting some external processes and structures while remaining focused on tailored solutions, the organisation aligns with its values.
Civic and Political organisational development
The concepts of leadership and representation are being challenged day by day. A leader for the public good is not expected to be only a visionary. They are expected to be a relatable figure that represents their constituency and hears their concerns. Often, political and civic leaders are visionaries with limited work experience outside of public service. The high level of scrutiny and pressure cannot be overcome only with a charismatic facade. Leadership requires individuals to reflect on their mission to represent and to take personal time to review, ensuring that the natural ego does not overtake the public good roles entrusted to the leader.
Leadership development implies personal development. This means the development of several skills that allow individuals to complement their vision with empathy and professionalism. Political leadership development is often only focused on learning communication skills. Only a few political and civic leaders are prepared to face the stress of being targeted by the media, being the subject of constant public scrutiny and being unable to motivate the staff and inner managers of their organisations.
