The public sector has a hierarchical structure which can be intimidating. But, you don’t need to be the decision-maker to contribute to positive policy outcomes and make an impact. This blog gives you three practical steps to organize your ideas and identify the best way to push them forward.
Your expertise is needed
I’ve been working in the public sector for almost 15 years. I’ve seen many brilliant public servants, with fantastic ideas that were not shared because they thought they were not high enough in the hierarchy. Or perhaps, they were afraid to speak up. Imposter syndrome perhaps?
Who loses when you don’t share your ideas? The country and you! It’s like when you’re trying to put together a puzzle and one piece is missing. It will never be complete.
My intention with this article is to motivate you to speak up, push your ideas forward and make the impact you’ve always known you can have.
How to start
1. Be clear on what you want to share and why
If you’re an entrepreneurial civil servant, you very likely have been thinking about this issue that you’re passionate about for a long time. It might be a topic that interests you or an area of your work that you understand well and want to improve.
The very first step is to unpack your genius, and have clear what is the issue that you want to focus on and why it matters.
The reason why we start with this step is that you need to be confident about what you have to share. When doubts about speaking up start to sneak in, you know there is something bigger than yourself, a cause worth fighting for, and that would become your fighting shield.
2. Enter into the details of the problem you’re trying to solve AND the solution
You have identified the what and the why of the issue you want to share. Now, let’s get deeper into the substance. Three questions can help you unpack the problem you want to address:
- Why is this a problem? In other words, what’s the risk of inaction. You can apply the 5-why technique.
- Who is this problem important for? Think about those, directly and indirectly, affected.
- Why does it matter to them? Another way to think about it is what’s at stake.
The next phase is to explain what would be a solution to that problem and how that can be implemented. The more details and structure you can give, the better. Remember, you have to make it so clear and obvious that’s hard to say no.
3. Plan your strategy
There are three aspects to consider:
People
Identify the stakeholders that are relevant to your issue of concern. For all of them, you need to be clear on their interests in the topic and the power they have to affect it. Essentially, you want to be clear on who do you need, and who you don’t need, to push your idea forward.
If you can identify potential objections or concerns for each stakeholder, it will help you anticipate your actions and responses.
Sequencing
Try to identify actions that will help you gather support, build momentum or strengthen your proposal. How you sequence your actions will influence the outcome, plan your next steps accordingly.
Remember, talking directly with a decision-maker isn’t always the best option. Sometimes you need to convince a few people beforehand.
Timing
The timing of your proposal is as important as the proposal itself. One way to think about this is to know why this issue is relevant now. You could highlight its relevance or show the opportunity or benefits of doing it now. You could also add it as part of a bigger agenda.
You can make an impact exactly where you are
If finding a way to contribute to positive outcomes when you’re not the policy-maker has crossed your mind, it’s probably because you have something valuable to share.
But, you need to be courageous, speak up and push your ideas forward. Start with an issue you’re passionate about. Identify why it matters, which problem it addresses and how it solves it. Then, plan your strategy and take one risky action at a time. Don’t give up before even trying.
Want to know more about influencing a decision-maker?
Register now for our upcoming workshop. You’ll learn:
- How to communicate persuasively in the public sector
- Strategies to influence a senior executive
- How to persuade stakeholders to work with you to get things done
The workshop will give you simple and practical tools, real-life examples, templates so you don’t have to start from scratch and we’ll have a special live Q&A session with a former minister to answer your doubts. You can register here.
