What does it take to be a good chemical lobbyist

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Simon Terwagne prepared this visual for a recent talk at the ULB.

It mirrors the journey that anyone who seeks to develop mastery of their craft.

The parallel’s to George Leonard’s Mastery are striking.  The path to excellence is told by many. Steven Kotler’s Gnar Country, and Anders Ericsson’s The Road to Excellence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A rule of thumb – What does it take

To acquire the necessary skills and experience will take time.

Anyone who thinks they can grasp what needs to be known in 2-3 years is kidding themselves.

The few people I have met who are excellent at this,  have been developing their craft for decades.

I think it takes at least 3 times closely working on a process to have a good idea on how to do it well.

So, in practice, this means learning at the coal face the following:

  1. Ordinary Legislation
  2. Secondary legislation: Implementing acts, Delegated act, and RPS Measures, and their scrutiny by the EP and Council.
  3. In your chosen domain, you’ll learn the practice of the adoption of the procedures of relevance. In chemicals, this means: 1. REACH Restrictions, 2. CLH classification, 3. REACH Substance Evaluation, 4. REACH SHVC identification. 5. IED BREF. 6. OEL setting.

Over the years, you’ll pick up some useful skills, including:

  1. That all gets broken down in knowing how to prepare, or at least spot, how to prepare/draft: a good Restriction submission, a good SEAC submission, a good submission to the RAC.
  2. You’ll learn over time the procedures for the adoption of a proposal within a Commission, and then within the EP and the Council.
  3. Picking up a good understanding of the opportunities for  legal review, the steps involved, and the chances of success.
  4. You’ll pick up the skill of clear written and spoken communication.  Still one of the rarest qualities in Brussels.
  5. And, a healthy dose of humility when dealing with officials, politicians and clients.
  6. The ability to delegate upwards and downwards will make your life easier.

All these essential elements can’t be picked up over a Thursday night on Place Luxembourg. And, try as I might, I still think the quickest it can be learned to a high standard is 10 years. That involves deep focus, spending an hour of your own time every day learning your craft, and constant feedback from an experienced lobbyist. Few people will have this level of patience.