Hey, it’s us again.
We’ve been thinking and realized it’s not just your strategic communications that suck. You’ve got a problem with how you approach policy, too.
Knock off the nationalism
Enough with the hyper-national BS.
This isn’t just about conservative versus liberal, or east versus west. It’s about having a holistic understanding.
We live in a globalized, geo-political world. If you want to play in the policy space, you have to get out of your bubble and see what’s happening in the rest of the world. While Americans are usually the worst with this, folks in Asia aren’t innocent either.
It’s nationalism that creates an us-versus-them mentality, the type of mentality that leads to misinformation, trade wars, and higher prices for everyone. There’s nothing beneficial about this, especially when you’re dealing with consumers. If you want to keep them happy (and let’s not forget who pays your salary), we should be building bridges instead of walls.
Look at the long-term
Next time cable news flashes its latest fear-inducing alert, instead of having a meltdown try this instead.
First, breathe.
Second, ignore whatever the TV is showing.
Then, think about the long-term.
We’ve become so focused on short-term ups and downs we forget to look at trends over time. Hans Rosling is the best at this. He’s able to take what appear like doomsday scenarios and show why we should just calm down and get on with things. If you take a serious look at the past century, you’ll see we’re certainly headed in the right direction. There are no indications to say we’ll deviate from this.
(That is unless our dependence on fossil fuels goes and destroys all humanity.)
Don’t be so sensitive
Policy wonks have seriously forgotten how to play politics. It’s like nobody's seen House of Cards.
On one side you have conservative elements of society who think their very way of life is under threat. On the other, you have liberal folks who are so altruistic they forget reality. Both have a chip on their shoulders the size of Rhode Island and grudges they harbor in the deepest parts of their being.
Move on. Or, at least, talk.
The world is moving too quickly. Things are changing too fast. The only way to stay competitive is to hash out a problem when it comes up: civilly and constructively, but resolutely.
I’m sure after reading this, you have some things to talk to me about. Don’t worry…this all comes from a place of love.