Nation Builders – Welcome to 21st Century Realities
– Momentum Public Relations –
Energy East proponents and old-style politicians take note. It is not business as usual. Gone are the days when a small group of corporations, lobbyists, and elected politicians can stack the approval process for big projects and then let the inevitable unfold.
Investors should also take note when evaluating their options. Companies that have failed to understand the changing landscape could be a sub-optimal investment. There is a premium on listening and crafting a coherent message that connects with real people. Failure to realize the emerging power of small groups who are passionate about an issue can derail a project and compromise an investment.
When it comes to big projects, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not invent the concept of “social license”. He is merely among the first to acknowledge that there is an entirely new way of operating. Any organization or politician that advocates for significant change to the status quo needs to take note.
The ongoing, and increasingly rancorous, Energy East pipeline project debate continued this past week. A meeting was held this week in Montreal between the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Montreal. Edgy tweets were exchanged between various municipal and provincial politicians, each with their agenda.
One group of people, comprised mostly of politicians and corporate entities that advocate for the pipeline proposal, are asking Canadians to think like “nation builders.” Images and comparisons abound that call to mind the nineteenth-century pioneer visionaries who are alleged to have had the foresight and determination to forge a country by building the Canadian railroad. The problem is that this is a different century, and the Energy East pipeline project has precious little in common with the early days of the Canadian Pacific Railway, other than a healthy dose of hubris and the odor of corporate entitlement.
The second group of people, a somewhat diverse cohort, are generating some increasingly active opposition to the proposed pipeline project. They include mayors, provincial politicians, and environmental advocacy groups. Their concerns center around two primary issues. The first is that a valid assessment of environmental impact ought to be completed. The second is more bread and butter. There are a variety of questions about the project’s economic benefit to specific communities in places like Ontario and Quebec.
Pro-pipeline politicians and pundits suggest that tough choices must be made to cater to the greater good. Canadians are being advised that we can’t allow a collection of individual communities to dictate the pace of progress. Progress, as defined by the pro-pipeline folks, is all about a hollow pipe that carries oil from one part of the country to the other. Ironically, most agree that the oil in question is a temporary energy solution that must eventually be met by other technology because it is a finite resource that has the potential to have a significant impact on the environment in the medium term.
A great deal of horror has been expressed about the fact that a handful of small town mayors in Quebec can stand in the way of a major investment in infrastructure. Welcome to the 21st Century! This is how it done now. Real people do matter. An individual’s influence is no longer tied to their pedigree or to the office they hold. It is tied to their ideas, their ability to communicate, and their grasp of 21st-century communication tools and platforms. Companies should take note. The tone deaf way TransCanada has handled this issue should become an MBA case study for how to bungle a communications strategy.
It should be quite clear that we’ve undergone an “era-shift”. This is far more profound than a generational change. In an era shift, the many of the foundational structures of society change. This is particularly true in matters of politics. Hierarchy is not dead, but it is increasingly irrelevant. This is the era of everyone communicating with anyone they want on Facebook, Twitter, and the ubiquitous instant message. When Taylor Swift posts a photo on Instagram, a million people know all about it. Lilly Singh can put something on YouTube, and her 7.7 million subscribers lap it up. Malala Yousafzai, a girl from rural Pakistan, can win a Nobel peace prize advocating for education for young girls and millions more tune in. It doesn’t matter who you are; you can be heard. One passionate person can truly make change happen.
Sure, Canada does have some choices to make. They are choices that require leadership. The challenge is that they need a whole different kind of leadership because we are in a completely different era. Old-style leaders “declare”. Old-style leaders were trusted because they seemed smarter than us, or they simply knew more than we did. New-style leaders listen. They understand the reality that engagement and conversation work more effectively than grandstanding or lecturing. They also know how to use social media effectively.
Gone are the days of carefully crafted campaigns to influence a finite and measurable group of influential decision-makers. Welcome to a new era. It is the era of individual power. Anyone with an opinion and a cell phone can have a voice. Jenny McCarthy can claim to understand the science of vaccinations and, strangely, people believe her. Individual citizens are capable of being tsunami-like disruptors of traditional political processes; particularly if it is all about a pipe carrying oil that is slated to run past their backyard.
What is being accomplished by the current debate? The revamped approval process that the Liberal government in Ottawa announced this week bought some time for TransCanada Pipelines to fine-tune their proposal and their communication strategy. The company needs to invest in engaging all potential stakeholders. They need to recognize the changing perceptions of the public and the shift that is happening in the political landscape.
Can big projects still move forward? Is nation building still possible? Can a national consensus be achieved for Energy East? To a large extent, this all hinges on the recognition by companies and politicians that things have changed in a big way in the 21st century.
I would agree with some of this article. As well, might it be put forth that the mayor of a city should not expect to dump tons of toxic water in the Canadian water. May I also suggest that for resources, they get taken out of the pie and the have not provinces can do without this portion. As well , large bailouts for automotive industry in the east will have to disappear along with a lot of the bailouts as they add to pollution….And this will never happen….