Circle of Competence
Shane Parrish writes “For most of us, climbing to the summit of Mount Everest is outside our circles of competence. Not only do we have no real idea how to do it, but – even scarier – should we attempt it, we don’t even know what we don’t know” (The Great Mental Models, Volume I, Page 61).
Do you have a guide?
At the end of the day would you climb Everest without the help of a Sherpa like Tenzing Norgay? Would you try lobbying or campaigning without the help of an experienced political consultant?
Plenty of people feel confident to go it alone when they come to Brussels.
Sometimes they try the journey with the assistance of someone who holds themselves out as a sherpa, but whose real-life training is limited. That their journey is often unsuccessful should not be a surprise.
If you hire a sherpa whose never climbed to where you want to get to, or you find out it is their first gig, you at least know your chances of getting to where you want to, unscathed, if at all, is unlikely.
The Anglo-American Expeditions
A common feature is a self-belief that because you’ve done something similar in Washington D.C or London, you’ve got nothing to learn.
This attitude has been good for me. I spent some very interesting work re-launching failed expeditions from London and DC. At least in those cases, people realised what they had done had failed, and a change was needed. My simple job was to guide them to get them to where they wanted to be – which they did.
Tenzing Norgay spent around 20 years of training before he reached the summit. As Parrish notes “He developed his expertise through lots of lucky failures”. He was a “lifer” on the trails of Everest.
What to look for in a Sherpa
If you are looking for a political sherpa, I’d recommend that you look for an individual ‘who has a special competence, and is is reulctant to stray’.
I don’t like to stray into ‘areas that I don’t even know what I don’t know.’ There are many areas where I’d have no clue even what to questions to even to ask.
Personally, my circle of competence is very narrow. I stick to it and keep up to date with developments in my very narrow fields. I am EU political lobbyist and campaigner. I focus in a narrow very band (chemicals, environment, and fisheries). Even in that narrow band, I focus down the granular: policy and legislative adoption process and positioning.
I’ll admit I have a side line in social network analaysis and value communication. They support getting policies and proposals co-opted. That’s more than enough for me.
If anything else comes up, I step aside.
Fortunately, when something outside my zone of competence comes up – which it frequently does – I can call on people who really know what to do.
Many consultants hold themselves out as Public Affairs consultants. They are able to run lobbying, communications (media, politcal, and social media). They are very talented.
Some delve into the McKinsey space of managent consultancy, as well as legal advice and social media, advice. There are Public Affairs consultants who are able to do all three.