Election season is upon us, and the ads, mailers and yard signs are impossible to miss. As a business leader in your community, raising your voice in advocacy on policy issues can be critical to long-term success.
Engaging in the political process as a business leader can be challenging and uncomfortable. Questions about how best to interact with policymakers or potential policymakers, what issues to focus on, and how to make sure your thoughts are effectively communicated can be difficult to answer. As we move into the heat of the election season, here are a few tips for engagement.
1. Engage with policymakers and candidates to build relationships and improve your impact. Elected officials don’t want to hear from you only when you need something. Spending time building relationships and getting to know them, and their priorities, can help you make a greater impact and have long-term success in helping them shape their policy decisions.
2. Share your subject matter expertise with candidates. Political leaders deal with a broad variety of issues and topics and depend on information and support from trusted sources. Demonstrating your skills and expertise in your areas of business can help you become their go-to expert when policy making questions arise.
3. Connect with a network of other professionals. Whether its national, state, or local organizations and advocacy groups, building connections can help you learn and strengthen your voice in numbers. Trade organizations or business groups like the local Chamber of Commerce can be a great place to start.
Policymaking affects businesses in many ways. As a new group of candidates step forward to serve in that capacity, now is the perfect time for our community business leaders to help advocate for those that will best serve the business interests of our region in Southeast Missouri.
