Political engagement as a key management and leadership skill

Government policy impacts every aspect of how businesses and companies operate and grow. This is why Contributing Assistant Professor Brad Avakian teaches his MBA for Professionals students at Willamette University's Atkinson Graduate School of Management that the most important day of an election cycle is the day after the winners are announced. "That's when managers should start making phone calls to the winners and saying, 'We'd love to meet you,'" he says.

As Oregon's former Labor Commissioner and state House and Senate member, he knows that meaningful relationships between constituents and their elected officials go a long way. "Oregon has always been a place where you can easily contact a local elected official or even your state senator or representative," Avakian says. "I had over 40,000 face-to-face conversations with Oregonians about what was important to them and their businesses. It was the most meaningful part of the job."

Avakian teaches Business Law and Politics and Public Policy for Managers in the MBA for Professionals program, where he trains working professionals to understand the laws and procedures affecting their organizations and businesses. During heated political seasons, he reminds his students that the most consequential races aren't necessarily the high-profile national ones in the news.

"The reality is that the winner of larger elections will probably have much less effect on daily life than those running for local city council, county commission, or state legislature," he shares. "Those are the places where the rubber meets the road on the issues that affect the lives of people and businesses. As a manager or an owner of a business, you need to pay careful attention to the elections that are going on in our state."

Avakian says that managers need to learn about public policy and how it intersects with their business. Everything from bills related to family leave to the actions taken by enforcement agencies can impact a business's ability to produce goods, maintain a workforce, and close profit margins.

"Managers should pay close attention to the issues their elected officials are considering and find ways to ensure their input is meaningfully heard," he says. "A big part of my classes is teaching students how to build relationships with elected officials and bureaucrats so that they're not waiting until a new law is being considered before they can give input."

Avakian also teaches his students real-life examples of how government actions impact business and how they can become more involved with local democratic institutions. For instance, every student learns how to give legislative testimony in his Politics and Public Policy for Managers course. Each student develops a topic into policy and provides live, oral testimony to a committee of real-life legislators.

"There were even a couple of times students have presented policy ideas that the legislators presented as a real bill the next legislative session," he adds.

Avakian adds, "Vote and support the candidates you think will be better for your employees and the health of your business. And, regardless of who wins, build meaningful relationships with your representative when the election is over."