Public Safety Insights Newsletter: Political Acumen Isn’t Just for Leaders

Political Acumen Isn’t Just for Leaders
Public Safety Insight:	The safety, health, and economic viability of your community depend in part on the proficiency of your employees and stakeholders in navigating the political environment in which your agency operates.

During the six years I worked with the Los Angeles Fire Department as a consultant and coach, I can’t tell you how many times I came across sworn and civilian employees who erroneously believe the fire chief runs the department. For example, they don’t know that the fire chief reports to the head of the agency: a five-member unpaid civilian Board of Commissioners appointed by the mayor. They don’t know that although he can try to influence the budget he’s given by the City Council, the fire chief cannot transfer money from one department account to another without the Council’s permission. So when employees and stakeholders criticize the fire chief or try to persuade him to make changes, their efforts often are futile because they don’t understand a basic fact: because the fire chief often is an administrator rather than a decision-maker, he can only do so much in a politicized environment.  

This situation is not unusual. Because politicians and administrators decide how to allocate resources, public safety agencies must rely heavily on their leaders’ political acumen to obtain what they need. Yet it’s unrealistic to expect these leaders to shoulder this responsibility alone. Economic reality requires that stakeholders step up and take ownership of their roles in the political process. First they must learn why and how to do so.

Educating your personnel and your stakeholders about their roles and responsibilities in a politicized environment is an on-going process that may seem daunting. Here are six ways you can begin:

1. Identify the impact of resource allocation decisions on public safety.
   Speaking objectively and specifically, communicate the likely outcomes, positive as well as negative, of various alternatives in contexts that decision-makers and stakeholders can understand and appreciate.

2. Teach your stakeholders why and how to get involved in the political process.
   Develop a “Civics 101” program that includes information about who all the players are, what their interests are, what their roles are, and how the political process works – formally and informally. Tell them what’s at stake.

3. Offer the program widely.
   Make it an integral part of your academy curriculum as well as part of the formal orientation for your civilian staff. Publicize the program on your website and through social media. Offer it to CERT and other public safety support groups as well as to educational institutions, community organizations, businesses, and professional associations. Invite current and new administrators and politicians to attend.

4. Establish an on-going, two-way communication process between your agency and your stakeholders.
   Update the program regularly as the players change. Communicate the changes to the network of internal and external stakeholders who have completed the program. Let each other know the results of efforts to advocate for public safety, what opportunities are coming up, and specifically how people can be involved. Show clearly the likely impact of decisions on the level of public safety in advance so decision-makers and stakeholders can make informed choices.

5. Reinforce the desired behaviors.
   Let your community know when stakeholders have stepped up to advocate for an acceptable level of public safety, and especially when there have been positive changes. Even when actions are ineffective, continuously support the efforts. Some changes take more time than others. Publicize the results of decision-makers’ choices, especially when they support the community’s safety, health, and economic viability.

6. Allow your stakeholders to share the responsibilities inherent in a politicized environment.
   This may require a mindset change. Don’t put your community’s safety at risk because you continue to try to carry the load by yourself.

Although political acumen is a requirement for effective leaders, their role is only one of many in the political process. Developing a safe, healthy, economically viable community is everyone’s responsibility. It’s time to bring the rest of the players into the public safety picture and equip them with the political knowledge and tools they need to help you keep them safe.

If you’re interested in learning how to hone your political acumen skills, listen to the IAFC webinar that I presented with Fire Chief Kingman Schuldt called “Wicked Problems: Political Acumen.” To learn more about how you and your stakeholders together can navigate the political process, plan to attend our workshop “How to be Political without Being a Politician” on August 27th at FRI 2015.

To find articles and resources that may be of value to you, I invite you to visit my web site at www.PublicSafetyInsights.net.

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©2015 Pat Lynch | Public Safety Insights