As providers and as elected leaders, we both need to put people first and focus on the communities we serve. Good government should be about creating better opportunities for people in our state and I strongly encourage each of you to seek out the providers in your district, visit them, talk with the consumers and their families, and get a strong sense of the vital role you play in the direct care of our consumers.
Public policy disputes have the potential of polarizing communities with the affect of delaying important decisions on vital issues of public policy, often resulting in diluted policies or no action at all. Facilitation helps resolves some of the high-profile policy disputes and finds resolution through controversy and clarity amidst chaos.
If we don't trust those whom we elect why should we trust their spokesperson. According to the 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer, in the US, more people place their trust in business before government. To gain the public's trust and avoid difficult situations like those that have emerged in Flint, Detroit, Baltimore, Cleveland and other cities those that we elect have to start to listen to those they represent and communicate with the people affected directly.
That is why North Coast Strategies is proud to announce that we are a pre-approved service provider for Motor City Match (MCM), through the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC). a grant program that connects Detroit-based entrepreneurs and commercial property owners with financial and technical resources, all with the goal of growing businesses in the city's neighborhood commercial corridors.
It is easy to point fingers and to shift the focus of the core of any issue by finding others to blame. In dealing with a crises, such as the Flint Water Crises, the time and attention by those directly involved should be focused on resolving the problems and making sure the needs of those negatively affected by the situation, both short term and long term, are taken care of.
Instead of finger pointing, the state must focus on the people first and let the litigation determine who was at fault.
Engaging the public through strategic communications is a vital component of any strategy, in both the public and private sector. That is why the State of Michigan, the Governor, each state Department, the City of Flint, the business and community groups in Flint, the Mayor of Flint, and other organizations affected by the water crises needs someone to help define the narrative to communicate about the situation, to find the people and their stories to share, to run interference between the national media looking for a story and the people of Flint looking for answers, for solutions and for help.
Crisis just don’t just happen, they evolve. Just like hurricanes do not suddenly appear, they are given time to gain momentum or dissipate. A forest fire does not start out as an inferno, it starts out as a brushfire. And a terrorist attack does not just happen, the terrorists plot, plan practice and kill.
Movies are created to share stories, advocate for change and start a conversation about what life is like, can be like or should be like. While the Academy failed to celebrate the rich diversity our movies bring and honor those behind and on the screen, it is providing a forum to discuss diversity and inclusion. But frankly, we are beyond that discussion and Hollywood should be WAY beyond that.
We elected our leaders to represent a common mission not a party platform. Yet in legislating, most often it is politics that trump sound public policy. It is time to shift how government decisions are made and for our elected leaders to find a new way forward while seeking consensus instead of controversy.
While every community is different, many issues are the same. However, when the issue becomes emotional or even political, finding a solution becomes difficult but not impossible. To help facilitate that process, they need to bring in a neutral third party who is sensitive to the politics of the problem, familiar enough with the people involved, but not connected to anyone so that they can help facilitate ways to bring a resolution forward.
A powerful PR campaign begins by creating a playbook that includes your goals for the campaign, the messages to convey, the audiences to reach and how to reach them. Results should be measured by setting achievable objectives and evaluating those objectives through the campaign. Every PR investment decision-maker deserves to know whether the program met or beat its goal.
Despite the festive aurora of Halloween we are surrounded by wicked problems. They affect a lot of people and for a company they can disrupt business or even change the industry. To deal with these problems, companies need to be agile and both need to deal with issues quickly and easily before an issue becomes a wicked problem.
Businesses today do not have the luxury of waiting 30 days let alone thirty minutes to notify its stakeholders of a breach in cyber security. CEOs along with the CMO, CIO and CLO must work to create effective and swift protocols to deal with data breaches to limit legal liability risk and risk to the company’s reputation.
