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What’s in a name? Everything. |
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By Dave Wenhold
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Posted: 04/03/07 07:51 PM [ET] |
Consider the gut reaction you have when you hear the following names: Jessica Simpson … Tom Cruise … Colin Powell … Joe Gibbs … President Bush … Osama bin Laden. Now think of the Member member of Congress you like best. And the least?
The power of someone’s name is remarkable. In this town, it’s the coin of the realm. In lobbying and politics, one’s name — and the reputation associated with it — is probably the most important asset anyone has. It increases access and helps to conduct business. With it comes an awesome responsibility: to protect and preserve its worth. This important asset also conveys a professional curriculum vitae, experience, credibility and, most importantly, trustworthiness. Whether you are a lobbyist, lawmaker, staffer, government official or just an average citizen, your name is linked directly to the fiber of your character.
Unfortunately, as we all know with the recent scandals, some individuals in corporate America and here in Washington have chosen to sell their name for a quick dollar, and by doing so have tarnished entire professions. I would venture that 99.9 percent of all members of Congress and lobbyists are hard-working, honest people working to protect their constituencies and promote their clients ethically, yet we are all painted with the same scandal brush.
One way to combat incorrect, negative perceptions is to continue to work hard and ethically promote what we do, who we are and how we help society. Most people outside the Beltway do not know what a lobbyist really does or the insane hours members, the administration and their staffs work for the average American’s benefit. Most of us came to D.C. to “make a difference,” and we accomplish that with our name, reputation, work ethic, experience and character.
As the first vice president of the American League of Lobbyists (ALL), I take very seriously ethics and the positive portrayal of our profession. As you may know, the ALL is the national professional association dedicated exclusively to lobbying. ALL’s mission is to enhance the development of professionalism, competence and high ethical standards for advocates in the public policy arena. What you may not know is that ALL established a code of ethics for its members in 2000 that provides basic guidelines and standards for lobbyists’ conduct.
It was done in 2000, well before the Abramoff debacle, to preserve and advance public trust and confidence in our democratic institutions and the advocacy process by those who adhere to a code of ethics. Professional lobbyists have a strong obligation to act always in the highest ethical and moral manner in their dealings with all parties.
Ethics, perception and reputation are the trademark of a great lobbyist. There are many well-known and respected top lobbyists who have spent decades earning their reputations. With that, their businesses have grown. How do the two correlate? Ask any staffer or member whom they trust and why: Chances are it is the lobbyists with whom they have worked for years on a myriad of issues.
Great lobbyists, such as my longtime mentor George Koch of K&L Gates, are those who understand and teach other lobbyists that words, actions and issues, when presented to a decision-maker, must be as good as gold. Any deception means the end of trust and therefore the ability to advocate effectively for clients. As the voice of clients and of a firm, a lobbyist’s word must be impeccable.
Sketchy lobbyists don’t last long in D.C. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and ask respected top lobbyists, like Gerald Cassidy or Tommy Boggs, if they would ever hire someone that would make them or their firms look bad.
Washington is in many ways a small town, with a long memory. At the end of the day, only your word and your reputation are truly yours. I personally like to use a simple litmus test to constantly check that I haven’t strayed away from my moral and ethical center. I ask myself, would my mother be proud of what I do and how I do it? The answer should always be yes.
So what’s in a name? Honestly ask yourself when you are representing your constituents or your clients: What do people think when they hear your name? Reputations are created every minute and every day. How’s yours?
“Character is much easier kept than recovered,” Thomas Paine once wrote. And it is as true today as it was back then.
Dave Wenhold, CAE, is a founding partner of Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies, a Washington government-affairs and grassroots lobbying firm. He also serves as the first vice president of the American League of Lobbyists. He can be reached at
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