Public affairs: more than a job—a cause
What if lobbying was much more than an industry—a virtuous activity that can benefit society as a whole.
Is lobbying a virtuous activity?
Lobbyists and public affairs professionals must consistently advocate for their jobs against the public opinion who don’t understand what our job is, and—frankly— don’t like us very much.
Lobbyists, despite being an essential part of democratic policymaking are consistently seen by citizens at best as a necessary evil, and at worst, a not-so-necessary one.
The fault has multiple reasons, which we might cover one day on The Beubble—one being that lobbyists advocate for their clients, not for themselves. That’s a discussion for another day.
Today, I’d like to take the other approach, and, expose why our job is more than a job—that our activities have more to it than meets the eye. Lobbying has virtue and benefits for the whole of society.
The reason for public affairs
That’s an idea we often forget when we are neck deep in our job.
Answering emails, hunting for information, networking, and reading complicated regulation proposals does not help us reflect on the added value of our activities.
Yet, the question of the value, the mission we (individually and as a group, as a public affairs professional(s)) bring to society. It’s easy to understand what we bring to our clients and employers, policymakers, or our colleagues. But what do we give to society? What is our function in the grand scheme of things?
There is of course a personal, individual answer to this question: one might work for a climate-defense NGO, and as such their mission is easily identifiable. Some are equally true working for forward-looking private companies. In any case, I wish you to find your own calling and your reason for doing this job in the position you are in.
What we must do together is also to reflect on the “group” or “industry-wide” answer.
Public affairs as a virtuous practice
Lobbying, I wrote above, is an essential component of European democratic life. The institutions expect public affairs professionals to give out their expertise, figures, and narratives to orient the law-drafting process.
By crossing the point-of-views of all the interest groups, policymakers can then draw an accurate picture of the industrial and societal reality, and thus adopt the way law is drafted.
Thus, public affairs has a crucial democratic role. By providing the information policymakers needs and lack, we orient policies towards better outcomes.
Secondly, we give a voice to those who have none. It’s easy to see lobbying as merely an activity that large companies can afford. The relentless work that NGOs are putting in is enough to destroy this myth. And even then, the voice of the industry can represent societal needs as well. They preserve their employees, advance progress, and finance all aspects of society.
Furthermore, some forward-looking companies probably have a greater impact on—let’s say—reducing CO2 emissions than NGOs could.
In conclusion, we see that public affairs professionals and lobbyists, as a group, have the potential to improve society on so many occasions. That’s more than a job, that’s a cause.
Find your cause
Yet, this comes with a caveat. For the public affairs industry to bring positive values to society, its members must be willing to work for society—not merely for their clients and employers. There must be, in each of us, a deep sense of mission, of connection with the rest of society.
I believe that we must ask ourselves what drives our work. What mission is leading and guiding our actions? What can we do to achieve its goals? What positive impact will we leave as a result of our professional choices?
I will leave you with these questions to ponder. I’m curious to hear what you’ll come up with.