Advocacy in the Professional World

By Jennifer Mount

In my recent interview with Kristen Brown, the new Executive Director for Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, she spoke about how her organization advocates for the local business community by writing letters to public officials, speaking at community events, and influencing public policy. It got me thinking that advocacy is at the very core of our professional and leadership responsibilities. When we step into a professional or leadership role within an organization, we are advocating for something or someone. Advocacy is when a person publicly recommends or supports someone or something. Who or what do you advocate for?  

In organizational life, there are many things that we advocate for. We advocate for our organization’s mission, vision, values, and goals. We advocate for our clients, customers, and the people we serve. We advocate for our products and services. We advocate for our employees. We advocate for ourselves. You can now imagine, after this list, that it can be difficult to advocate for all of these things at once. Often the people and things we advocate for have competing priorities, leaving us confused and overwhelmed in how to support each piece. The question becomes how do I advocate for it all?

You are at the center of your world and each day you do your best to support the people and things you care for (even if today doesn’t feel like your best). The key to being an advocate for all of it, is to understand each voice to the best of your ability and to find mutual understanding within the whole. How do we do this?

When our priorities and the things we are advocating for are in conflict and direct competition for resources, we first have to recognize where the conflict and competition is coming from. It comes from the fear of each voice saying, “I will not be heard, I will not be supported, I will not get my needs met.” Once you know where the conflict and competition is coming from (the emotions and the fear behind), you feel empathy and compassion for each voice. These feelings allow you to open your mind and secondly listen for, “what is each voice needing and asking for?” This is the foundational understanding of each voice, each person and each thing you are advocating for.

After you have this foundational understanding of each voice, you can then move towards mutual understanding. Mutual understanding is to fully recognize how each voice compares and competes with each other. Mutual understanding allows us to hear each voice more clearly and know how we may be able to accommodate, to collaborate or to compromise with each to find mutual agreement. Mutual agreement is our solution to how we will move forward in doing our best to accommodate the needs of each voice and therefore the whole. This is not easy, this is simply the process for advocacy.  

The process for advocacy is to 

1) understand where conflict and competition is coming from, the fear and emotions behind it

2) listen for what each voice needs and is asking for

3) find mutual understanding and agreement for how to move forward.  

This is how you advocate for it all and not gain any enemies in the process.  When you stand responsible, respectful, and accountable to the people and the things you are advocating for, you stand as a credible and trustworthy professional and leadership advocate.

***

Work with me. Let's start a conversation. Contact me at jennifermountconsulting@gmail.com, Tel: 831-888-6927.