Coalition in a Day

How to assemble just enough credible partners to move a regulator now

I’m continuing to explore what it takes to launch regulatory/public affairs campaigns quickly. Over the last few weeks, I’ve explored new frameworks and concepts I’m stitching together that would let me launch a campaign within 72 hours, not 72 days. If you have skipped over my recent posts on the topic, let me get you caught up in four bullets. To launch a minimum viable campaign, you need:

1. The Win Theory (Define the win and how you’ll get there)

2. The Arena Map (Assess which game you’re playing, how to get in, and how to win)

3. The Yes Math. (A person-by-person accounting of who you need to win over)

4. A Message House (A clear message, ideally with a call-to-action)

What comes next? Your coalition. This is where the rubber starts to meet the road, and as a result, where many teams start to stall out. You don’t need a big tent, you need a spine.

Build Your Coalition Spine

By now you should be feeling confident. You have clarity on the message. You've got the proof to back it up. And you're ready for the inevitable attacks. But you've got no reason to feel confident unless you put all of this thinking and work to use. You need to package up the Message House and pre-buttals so your team, allies, and validators can pick it up in a minute.

But let's be real. No one is going to spread your message until you enlist captains to do this heavy lifting. Most teams will get to this stage, circulate the messaging, and feel like they're work is done. Truth is, the work hasn't even begun. If you're going to spread your message, you need the help of a coalition, and a structured approach to building it. That’s because decision-makers rarely move on the count of a single company or stakeholder asking them to. They move when unlikely allies line up behind a sensible, specific request.

Your Coalition Spine is the minimum set of partners who make a yes feel credible and safe: people decision-makers would otherwise expect to disagree, now agreeing on this one narrow fix.