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Last month, my column about the importance of engaging in your community generated a lot of positive responses from you.
But a few of you I spoke with asked, "Isn't that your job? Don't we pay you to have relationships with our lawmakers, so we don’t have to?"
The answer to that question is no. No more than you pay your dentist to have clean teeth. You must do the work in between your cleanings. Yes, your dentist has a responsibility to do certain things during your appointment. But the reality is, if you're not doing what it takes to keep your teeth clean, your dentist is just fixing damage, not making your teeth strong.
Working these relationships has to become part of your business model.
You also must ensure your team is on the same page. I talked to a general manager of a hospitality company that had business in multiple cities. This GM had indicated that they actually support the initiative in Tacoma, and we couldn't count on them for any help.
About a week later, the owner of the GM’s business called me and wanted to know what the hell I was doing about the minimum wage initiative in Tacoma and wondered if I understood how much this was going to hurt his business.
The owner, through all good intents and purposes, had delegated the responsibility of Tacoma relationships to his GM, and the GM was not on the same page. In fact, the GM was instructing the association to do quite the opposite.
My broader point is these responsibilities are not something you can just delegate away.
Everyone recognizes that as advocates, we’ve been paid to represent you. And while we are passionate to represent you, there isn’t as much heart behind the stories that we can tell on your behalf as there is if you tell your own story.
Let's talk about what the association does do for you. We can set up an environment where your relationships with lawmakers can be successful, meaningful and help strengthen the industry.
We want an environment where your legislators connect with hospitality operators in other communities and ultimately lead to collective, positive ideas about how to grow our economy and communities.
We can provide legal guidance, and the political acumen needed to make informed decisions and effectively navigate these relationships.
We can help you set up appointments to get to know folks. We can help identify the things you have in common.
However, elected officials know we are paid to say what we say.
But what YOU say is from the heart and real and matters to your family and your bottom line.
That's not a secret. It's known. That's why your relationship counts threefold over ours.
Let’s say you are all in on this concept and are ready to go, but don’t know where to begin. If you don't have a connection with any of your lawmakers, our GA team can connect you with them and help set up a first meeting. You can email our Grassroots Coordinator Kerry Dolan at kerryd@wahospitality.org.
But you have a natural inroad if they're already coming into your restaurant or if they are stopping by the Rotary meeting held in your hotel. Walk up and say hi.
The best time to start these meetings is not when the issue is hot. It's when there's not an issue and you're just building a relationship. Build that foundation of trust and talk about your passion for your business. Talk about your struggles before there is a new issue before them.
As always, it’s an honor to serve you. |
