For a big operation, our team researched and prepared some fantastic Public Affairs Guidance.
We got it up to our higher headquarters with plenty of time to spare – with a recommended way ahead on when, whom, and why to send up to the Pentagon for further coordination.
It probably wasn’t perfect, but it was our best option – we figured the PAG was a solid 90 percent solution.
Next steps? Not this time. We didn’t follow through. We let the document sit, without additional coordination.
Our PAG went unapproved, and unseen by senior communicators. Someone in Washington, D.C. scratched out a statement on a notepad because nobody told them there was a draft sitting at a lower-level staff. The public announcement was devoid of the facts and context we’d prepared.
Our 90 percent solution rapidly turned into a 0 percent solution.
In our line of work, writing is the easy part. You can hone the craft and get even better at it by producing 1,000 words each day.
But to truly drive effects, we need coordination, timing, logistics, relationships, and buy-in.
(Photo by Senior Airman Ariel Owings, DVIDS)
