Ethics in the Influence Industry

A friend of mine once recalled to me an evening out (well away from DC), when, fueled by good spirits, he took the stage at a piano bar to struggle out his version of whatever song the night had degenerated into. Asked his profession by the man with the mic on stage, my friend responded naturally, "I'm a lobbyist". He was booed off the stage.

The influence industry is huge, and growing. It is an essential component of our system of government. The 20-30K registered lobbyists include committed, ethical and hardworking individuals, whether they advocate on behalf of the disenfranchised or on behalf of big oil. There are also some shady characters, operating boldly through the grey areas or in other cases flagrantly breaking the law.

The ethical scandals du jour have brought focus again to the influence industry, with PBS doing a credible job of reporting on that industry's current state and some of the ethical nuances that permeate it.

I've always been struck by the lack of significant self-regulation from the influence industry. Most professional orders have well-established ethical guidelines and enforcers, as any physician or attorney can tell you. However, anyone can be a lobbyist, and there is a complete absence of industry pressure or mechanisms that ensure those in the profession have even the faintest knowledge of, or commitment to, a baseline professional ethic. The American League of Lobbyists has tried to tackle this deficiency. Kind of. The fact remains that the state of real trust between a good majority of Americans and those who advocate (often on their behalf) in DC is sour. Until major changes are made on the industry side (not just the hard trust legal framework side), my friend knows he's much better off simply telling the piano bar audience he's a lawyer. And that's saying something.

UPDATE:

How might one go about establishing trust as a lobbyist? It is an interesting question, and I would argue that honesty and trustworthiness are the most important traits to hold in that particular profession, despite the reputation that lobbyists enjoy with the general public.

At its core, government relations serves to broker information between stakeholders. Real trust is often sought and built on a per-issue basis, with coalitions and actions generated out of a common interest that may be fleeting.

The idea of the "win-win" is most apt. Good public policy is by and large good politics, and successful lobbyists do well to align a particular policy pitch with its potential benefits politically. But ethics have been known to take a backseat to political expediency, despite the ever-looming social conscience that can be exercised through popular elections in this country. As a result, the "win-win" by itself leaves room for unscrupulous behavior.

There are very few transparent checks to ensure that lobbyists act within this professional ethic as an honest broker, leaving ample opportunity for unethical exploitation.

Ultimately, much success in lobbying is based on relationships, and in order to maintain such relationships, one must act with forthrightness, honesty, and integrity. That is the single greatest guiding principle for real trust in the influence industry. The risk of alienating those with whom you have or wish to have a strong professional relationship generally keeps the actors in line. In this particular industry, real trust is frequently linked with personal trust.