Page 254 - Executive Warfare

EXECUTIVE W ARF ARE

Whenever possible, get to know these people yourself. Leave your plush
tower and visit their spare government offices just to introduce yourself.
Encourage them to call you personally if they need anything. Regulators
are often forced to pass judgment on industries they have never worked
in and may not understand very well.As
a result, they may welcome your advice
DEVELOP now and then.
RELATIONSHIPS If your regulators know you, you are
WITH YOUR far less likely to become a political tar-
REGULATORS get down the road. And if you do ever
BEFORE THERE IS find your organization a subject of
TROUBLE ON THE interest—and need three weeks to pre-
HORIZON. pare the paperwork that will answer the
regulators’ questions—you will proba-
bly get the time.
What if you discover that there is a problem in your organization that
could draw the attention of regulators?
Fix it.
If you manufacture chocolate and somebody in your organization
worries that there may be mouse droppings in one batch, recall all the
chocolate. Don’t wait for the chocolate to be tested. Foot-dragging is
something regulators won’t stand for.
If a scandalous story hits the newspa-
pers before you can discuss it with your
LEAVE YOUR PLUSH regulators, you are, by definition, on the
TOWER AND VISIT defensive. Ideally, get out in front of your
THEIR SPARSE regulators whenever possible and work
GOVERNMENT with them to solve any problem.
OFFICES JUST TO For example, when I was at John
INTRODUCE Hancock, we had somebody working
YOURSELF. for us who sold an inappropriate prod-
uct to a lot of Boston police officers. As

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