Executive Positioning
One of the trickiest balancing acts in public affairs is effectively leveraging the time and external engagement of an organization's senior executives. When used too sparingly, a company's public affairs team ignores a major asset; if used too often, the team will dilute its executives' impact and overall message.
Here are a few thoughts on striking the right balance:
Make use of the entire executive team. While it is tempting to focus on leveraging the company’s CEO, other senior executives are often better positioned to engage with key stakeholders. Expanding involvement to the entire executive team also provides more engagement opportunities and broadens those engagements' positive “spill-over” impact to the multiple spheres of influence with which each executive otherwise engages. For example, a CTO is often the best representative to meet with senior regulatory subject matter experts; the general counsel is probably best placed to liaise with senior regulators and rule makers; and product leads are perfect candidates to drive user-based activity.
Leverage the CEO’s engagement to expand opportunities. The CEO’s role within an effective public affairs campaign is often to open doors and provide cover for additional engagement - not necessarily to get direct results. When asked to meet with an external stakeholder, a CEO and their public affairs team should be asking, "How many new opportunities will this engagement create, and what's the ROI of those follow-ups?"
Recognize that founders are unique. Almost by definition, a founder’s identity is closely intertwined with the company, its products, and its culture. Founders also often have oversized personalities. Both of these unique characteristics can bring increased attention and authenticity to a company’s story. However, there is also a risk that the success of the overall public affairs campaign might become overly dependent on the public’s perception of a single individual.
Stay Focused. Be cautious about getting executives bogged down in irrelevant topics. It is tempting to be drawn into broader political or social debates, but doing so risks diverting scarce resources into discussions that will not move the needle for the company and may create unnecessary headwinds for the business, either externally or internally.
“Windfall” executive engagement through standard communication channels. Highlighting and summarizing executive engagement through a company’s existing communication channels re-iterates the core public affairs messaging and builds its profile as an industry leader.
Leveraging a company’s entire executive team's time and expertise strategically can create a powerful public affairs presence that opens doors, shapes policy discussions, and positions the company as an industry thought leader. The key is to be intentional, match the right executives to the right engagements, and always keep the company's strategic goals at the forefront.
