Many cause-driven organizations are going through paroxysms as Donald Trump’s re-inauguration looms. I can’t say I’m surprised. As I said to a colleague last night at a networking event held, ironically enough, inside Bernie Madoff’s former apartment building, “we’re all f___ed. There’s no sugar-coating it. It’s depressing. I’m depressed!”
I’m glad to say they laughed before they poured themselves another glass of wine. I mean, this is going to be no picnic. I’m not making light of the horrors that are looming for trans kids and immigrants. Still, there is a way through the crisis, particularly if you’re working to improve the world. Here’s my advice.
Most nonprofits aren’t famous for having a strong sense of their priorities. Often they’re driven first by short-term funding considerations and I get that. I’m not judging. But this is not the time to tear up everything you’ve done over the last decade. In particular, it is not the time for a major rebrand or a significant shift in your program priorities. Don’t shift your tone too much. Remember Rudjard Kipling’s wonderful poem, If, of which this is my favorite verse:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
It’s worth clicking through and reciting the whole thing. Very calming and much-needed, I found it, today.
I have considerable experience, to quote the poem, of keeping my head when all about me are losing theirs. I’ve fended off serious and credible threats through the course of a long career. I’ve seen colleagues committed to psychiatric institutions. I know how to defend organizations and how to keep them focused on what matters, even when real pressure is on. I can spot risk approaching from around three corners and I know how and when to back off and re-assess.
What I’ve learned about handling pressure is this: You want to work with people whom you trust. People who you’ve built a relationship with over several years, if possible. If you’re new to working together, you want to establish early that you can trust each other. To be honest, I have found that once you’ve lost trust in a working relationship, it’s only a matter of time. You might be meeting and trying to achieve something together but sooner or later, it ends. I hate the slow fade, in that context, and would prefer to air my concerns as fast as possible. That’s the price of being a valued consultant. When you see that your advice isn’t valued, it’s time to move along.
If I were a nonprofit or cause-driven organization seeking strategic communications help, now? I would want mine. But I have also learned not to push too hard or get frustrated when organizations go the wrong route. Last week, for example, I heard about an organization facing a corporate lawsuit. In that context it was considering a self-destructive public-facing marketing and fundraising campaign. The goal was to engage the public around the injustice of the lawsuit. But the tone of the campaign under consideration was almost murderous. Given the recent high-profile murder of an insurance chief executive, it was a terrible idea. And yet without trusted strategic communications counsel, or listening to their lawyers? The idea was still floating around. I realized then that I couldn’t work with them. I couldn’t trust the organization and its people to listen to advice they didn’t want to hear. They were looking for somebody “visionary” to contract with on their strategic communications efforts. I said that’s the last thing I thought they needed. Indeed, I said, what it sounds like the chief executive needs is a strong lieutenant to martial things. If they don’t see that then they’re not qualified to lead the organization through the next four years.
I never wanted to join the military, but I do value toughness under pressure. It’s more important when you’re trying to help people who can’t fight for themselves. Again: The core of any high-performing team under such circumstances is trust. So, ask yourself: Do I trust the people advising me on my reputation? On my strategic positioning? On my press work and thought leadership? If you’re not sure, let’s talk. I’d be glad to hear from you. Meantime: Good luck handling next week. It’s going to be a nightmare.
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Matt Davis is a strategic communications consultant in Manhattan.
