"Networking is an investment in your business. It takes time and when done correctly can yield great results for years to come." - Diane Helbig
There’s a misconception that the people who stand as our leaders aren’t considerate and supportive of the entrepreneurial community. Yet in reality, local governments understand that it’s essential for small businesses and government agencies to work together since businesses are the backbone of a community. They provide what the people need, whether in a form of service or a tangible product.
Networking and building key relationships with the elected officials of your community are important to business success. . Yes, meeting new people may be scary, and it may be twice as intimidating if they’re in elected office. Or maybe it’s the perception of a bureaucratic system and having to jump over so many hoops that are keeping you from inquiring and reaching out. Remember - life is all about building relationships and connections that can benefit not only your business but your community as well.
In this week’s episode, I am joined by Cori Henderson, a government relations expert and the host of the Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast. She talks about the essence of networking with your local government leaders as an entrepreneur and the common misconceptions people may have about working with or reaching out to government agencies.
She discusses her A.C.T. framework as an easy-to-implement guide to engaging with government officials that serve your community. Listen in to learn more!
Other resources mentioned:
Thriving Points:
Get to Know the Guest:
Cori Henderson is a government relations expert and the host of Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast. She and her guests talk about the best practices in telling your story, how to cultivate key relationships, and form government relationships that propel your agenda forward.
Connect with Cori:
A Team Dklutr Production
"Networking is an investment in your business. It takes time and when done correctly can yield great results for years to come." - Diane Helbig
There’s a misconception that the people who stand as our leaders aren’t considerate and supportive of the entrepreneurial community. Yet in reality, local governments understand that it’s essential for small businesses and government agencies to work together since businesses are the backbone of a community. They provide what the people need, whether in a form of service or a tangible product.
Networking and building key relationships with the elected officials of your community are important to business success. . Yes, meeting new people may be scary, and it may be twice as intimidating if they’re in elected office. Or maybe it’s the perception of a bureaucratic system and having to jump over so many hoops that are keeping you from inquiring and reaching out. Remember - life is all about building relationships and connections that can benefit not only your business but your community as well.
In this week’s episode, I am joined by Cori Henderson, a government relations expert and the host of the Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast. She talks about the essence of networking with your local government leaders as an entrepreneur and the common misconceptions people may have about working with or reaching out to government agencies.
She discusses her A.C.T. framework as an easy-to-implement guide to engaging with government officials that serve your community. Listen in to learn more!
Other resources mentioned:
Thriving Points:
Get to Know the Guest:
Cori Henderson is a government relations expert and the host of Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast. She and her guests talk about the best practices in telling your story, how to cultivate key relationships, and form government relationships that propel your agenda forward.
Connect with Cori:
A Team Dklutr Production
Nikki Rogers: Your business is an asset that can support a thriving life. I believe this, and I'm committed to making this a reality for every entrepreneur and business owner who listens to this podcast. The Women Thriving in Business Podcast was created with you in mind, whether you were thinking about entrepreneurship or you're a business veteran, this podcast has inspiration, information, and advice you can use to thrive in business.
Women Thriving in Business features candid, unscripted conversations with entrepreneurs, business experts, authors, and academics who will contribute to your business success. I seek out and talk with business leaders who have built, grown, and thrive in business. My name is Nikki Rogers, transformation coach, author, and the host of the Women Thriving in Business Podcast. I work with women entrepreneurs to develop the mindset, strategies, and connections necessary to thrive in business. Join me and your fellow Thrivers each week on this journey of discovery and success.
Nikki Rogers: Welcome Thrivers to this week's episode of Women Thriving in Business Podcast. My guest today is Cori Henderson, who is the host of the Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast. Cori and I had a great conversation all about why it is so important for entrepreneurs to network with their local government officials. She shared with us her ACT framework in order to develop those sustainable relationships with those government officials. The A stands for agenda clarity. The C stands for cultivating connections, and T stands for telling your story. In addition, Cori shared her tips for how you can actually systematize networking so it is not so overwhelming and that you actually get it done. Her secret to government networking is simply to actually pick up the phone and start to make those connections.
So Cori Henderson, as I said, she's the host of the Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast. And she has a master's degree in Public Administration and over 20 years in government relations and economic development. She leverages that experience in order to help individuals and their organizations engage at all levels of government. If we've learned anything in the past two years, is that no one and no industry is exempt from government action. Cori has a unique perspective, having sat at the legislative regulatory and stakeholder tables. And she knows that passing legislation, getting a regulatory project permitted quickly, or passing a tax incentive package successfully all come down to the same thing. Clearly communicating your message to the right person at the right time. And she believes that her ACT framework allows you to do just that. So to learn more about how leveraging government relationships and networking can help you be successful as an entrepreneur, listen to today's episode with Cori Henderson. Let's go.
Welcome Thrivers to this week's episode of Women Thriving in Business Podcast. I'm so excited to have with me, Cori Henderson, who is the host of the Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast, and who is a government relations expert. So welcome to the podcast, Cori.
Cori Henderson: Thank you so much, Nikki. I'm excited about our conversation today.
Nikki Rogers: I am too. So I have to confess, I've listened to several episodes of your podcast. So I'm going to be asking you some questions related to that because I think it's great information that my listeners need to know. But before we get into all that, can you talk to us about the podcast and why you wanted to start it?
Cori Henderson: Yes, and thank you. So the Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast is, it takes all the knowledge that I've had over my career working in government relations and legislative affairs and refers to a regulatory agency. And I'm trying to make it accessible for anybody who wants to engage with the government to understand how to have that conversation to just take away with the unknowns because at the end of the day, the people in government policymakers, lawmakers, elected officials, they're just people too. And so I really want to help demystify working with the government, having those conversations and help industries not become the unintended consequence of somebody else's agenda, which we've seen happen often the last few years especially, but that would just highlight what normally happens anyhow. And so I want to help people not have that happen to their company or their industry, or something they care about in general.
Nikki Rogers: Great. Thank you. And I know you focused your podcast, and your advice is really around engaging with the government. But as I was listening, I was like, these techniques and tips are applicable in lots of areas, particularly as a small business or an entrepreneur. But can you talk to us a bit about why entrepreneurs should care about government policy and government relations?
Cori Henderson: Yes. And the first thing I want to say is if you just heard Nikki say that and you're like, ooh, I don't think I want to really listen to all of this. This sounds like it might be boring. It's not, it's actually really cool and exciting. So please hang in there. My background is in government relations, but I took a small detour in my career to business development. And I was able to do that because, at the end of the day, the conversations you have as a business owner are the same conversations you have in government affairs. It's just a different topic and a different audience, but the skills are the same. And so I was really able to easily transition from legislative affairs and government relations to economic development. I happen to transition into what I was selling as the State of Florida. So I was technically still within the realm of what I knew well as an economic development director for the entity in the State of Florida, that recruits companies to Florida. But still, my product was in the state and I had to sell it. And I had to sell it to major corporations and to smaller businesses who were looking to expand and deciding where to go. And so I think that's what I want you to take away from our conversation today is that it's just a conversation. And so the same way you are trying to create a relationship, to build, to have a new client, or to sell a product that you have when you work with the government, it's the same thing. Your idea, your issue, that's your product. And so, I just recommend everybody start by having a goal. Know what your goal is and be really knowledgeable about it. And then just have that conversation.
Nikki Rogers: Thank you for that. So Cori, if I have listeners here who are like, I don't sell to the government. I'm not a government contractor. Why is it still important for them to have, I guess, an awareness of what's going on as well as relationships with elected officials even if they're not selling to the government?
Cori Henderson: This is so important because government impacts everything. And again, the last couple of years have really highlighted the pandemic and some other issues have really highlighted the government's ability to be involved in everything. I think small businesses, I think every small business is essential without getting into politics. But the policy of it, your small business is essential. The dance studio down the street is essential. Children need that activity. They need those big movements. And so I think every small business is essential. And having that relationship with a couple of key government officials in your community allows you to have a voice and maybe even a seat at the table when they're thinking, oh, this situation has occurred and we need to do something about it. Or we heard this might be a problem, you want them to call you. You want to be able to say, yes, actually as a small business owner in the XYZ industry, that is a problem. Or, you know what, that's just a one-off. Somebody had something go wrong. Please don't take extreme action to fix something that's really not broken. If you take the time to develop a handful of key relationships, then you can be that voice steering and guiding the elected officials and the policymakers. Because it's not possible for them to know everything about everything, but yet they're asked to make a decision about everything.
Nikki Rogers: And so when you talk about those few key relationships, who do you suggest folks to start with? So are you talking about city council members, the mayor, county supervisors? Who are some of those key officials that small business owners should get to know and develop relationships with?
Cori Henderson: I'm going to have two answers because if you have a business and you know that there is a local elected official or a city-county agency or a department that's active in what you do, I would recommend you start there. They've niched down. They've shown their interest or their area of expertise, and I would stay start there. But if you're not as familiar and you're not really quite sure where to start, Google is your best friend. You have two choices. You can Google and find out who represents where you live or where your businesses are located if you don't work from home, and just start there and introduce yourself. You're not trying to ask them to do anything. You're not trying to sell them anything. You just want to make an introduction so they know you exist and you know who they and their staff are. But if you could take the time to take it one step further than just based on where you physically are and the person who represents you, I would recommend Googling each of your, either county commissioners or city council members, depending on your community you live in. I think we all have an affinity for one or the other sometimes. And see who has a background of hobbies and interests that might be familiar to something that you're comfortable with. Usually on their bios, whether it's their own webpage or the county city web pages, they mentioned that. Do you like fishing and one of the members that they liked to fish? Elected officials like to fish. Start there. Is one always talking about being at the soccer games with their kids, like they're constantly in the news at the soccer game and you have a kid that plays soccer? Start with that one. Try to use your regular relationship-building skills and tools to know where to start. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter who you start with. Just pick one and go from there.
Nikki Rogers: Great. I love that advice. So for small businesses who were thinking that official is not going to pay attention to what I want, or there are other larger companies that are going to have more influence than I, how do you level the playing field? Or is that true, do larger businesses have an advantage or are there ways that small businesses can still get their voices heard as well?
Cori Henderson: The larger businesses have an advantage because they've built the relationship and you haven't. And that's what distinguishes it. So I was a legislative aid for a really long time, on and off in my career. And I can assure you that, sure. Was there a handful of companies who, let's be fair, it's politics and made a couple of very large donations over the years and it was easy for them to get a meeting? Of course. But was it any more difficult for the mom-and-pop business down the street or the service provider in our community to get an appointment? No, it was equal. You might start with the staff instead of the elected official, or you might start with a department-level staff, not the department director if it happens to be a government agency or department that impacts your business the most. But at the end of the day, it's relationship-driven. And so you're at no disadvantage, except the disadvantage that you haven't picked up the phone yet. And that's what I love about government, which is why I said, please hang in there. The advantage goes to the person who's willing to pick up the phone and make the call and sit down and make an introduction. I run into some of our elected officials at the coffee shop or at the grocery store and they remember that, especially because your message is unique and different. You're a small business. And they want you to be successful. That's the other thing that I want to demystify here. People think that legislative staff and legislators, don't care about you. But the whole reason they got elected was that they care about their community. And as a small business owner, you are the fabric of their community. So they do care about you.
Nikki Rogers: Thank you for sharing that. I think that is probably the sentiment. If you're a small business, why would this person be concerned? But you make a really compelling point that if the businesses aren't there, then that impacts the quality of life, tax revenue, all those things that elected officials do care about. So it's to their advantage to work with you as a small business owner.
Cori Henderson: It really is. And then, maybe there's something you can even help them with. And I'm not speaking from a monetary value just when they have an idea and they're like, hey, I was thinking of this policy. I want to run it by somebody. Is this a good idea? And they're like, oh, XYZ business owner, I just met you or I met them a couple of months ago. I wonder what they would think about it. And that really happens. I've lived these experiences. I've done this for work. That really happens.
Nikki Rogers: Great. As I said, I did listen to several episodes and there was a couple that was very intriguing to me. So, one, can you talk about your ACT method? I thought this was great and easy to remember. So can you tell the listeners what ACT is?
Cori Henderson: Yes, so ACT is my formula for engaging with government and it is called, A-agenda clarity, C- cultivate connections, and T- tell your story. So the first thing you want to do is you want to know your agenda. Your agenda is your goal. Are you seeking to build a relationship, just in case you need it one day? Are you seeking to build a relationship because there's something going on that you don't think is quite right or that if they just did something different, there'd be awesome opportunities? Or is there something going on that you're like, oh my goodness, we really need help with this right now? Either way, agenda clarity is you knowing your agenda and what you want out of the relationship. And C, it's cultivating connections, which is what you're doing every day as a small business owner already. It's building those relationships, getting to know others that are in industries adjacent to yours that might be able to help you, or getting to know the elected officials, their staff, the city-county department staff that may have an impact on your business, that's C, cultivating your connections. And then T, but again, what you already do to sell your service or product is tell your story. And in this case, when you were sitting down with policymakers and lawmakers, you're telling your story from somewhere they can remember it. A woman in PR who's pretty high up in State of Florida public relations, when it comes to government relations, she likes to call it the Jim story. You want to be able to let that elected official or policymaker leave remembering Jim, or whoever you are, that this happened to Jim. You want to get it, tell your story in such a succinct way that as they walk away from their meeting, they're going, oh gosh, I wonder how I could help Jim. Or I wonder what would happen if we had done this for Jim. You just want to get it really succinct, the same way that you do when you're working into building your client list, how you tell your story about your business. You want to tell that story about your policy objective if you're at that point in the conversation.
Nikki Rogers: Great. I love that. And so can you talk about leveraging the act method and nurturing relationships? I thought this was a really strategic and organized way to go about nurturing relationships.
Cori Henderson: Sure. Again, in each relationship, you may want something different and that goes back to your agenda clarity. What do you need or want from each relationship? And so when you sit down to have a conversation, remember that goal in the back of your mind because the goal for the policymaker might just be to build a relationship. The goal for somebody in a trade association might be to gain their support because you have an idea that you want their help with, or you want to collaborate with. And so thinking strategically about that goal, when you sit down to have that meeting with somebody or that coffee or that zoom chat and cultivating the relationship based on the goal. And to go with that is to define the human connection. So you know your goal, but where's the human connection that's going to allow the relationship to go from transactional to real and effective? And so find that connectivity. And again, Google is there. Go ahead and check out people's Facebook pages. Check out their bio's on LinkedIn and find out a little bit about them and where you might be able to connect without being creepy. We're not saying to stalk anybody and don't be creepy about it, but again, does your kid play soccer and their kid play soccer? Or are you both in a Kiwanis's Club or Rotary Club just in different neighborhoods in town? Find that connectivity that you can create that real relationship as you remember your goal for why you're sitting there talking to them.
Nikki Rogers: And one of the tips that you advise on that episode of your podcast was this idea of setting up specific networking time. And so can you talk to us about that particular, I think, tip? I found that to be very enlightening and something I'm definitely going to implement.
Cori Henderson: All right. So networking, whether it's with elected officials or just to grow your business in general, we all know we need to do it. But it takes time. And so instead of making it become this overwhelming thing that you've got to get out there and do it and you have to remember to do it instead, I like to systematize it. So I do have an episode. I've created a system. It's super simple. First, grab a sheet of paper and brain dump all the people that you have been meaning to talk to, whether it's somebody in the government, whether it's somebody related to your business. Who are all those people you've been meaning to talk to but you just haven't gotten to them yet? Encircle the three that will have the biggest impact on your current goal, whatever your goal is this quarter, circle the three that have the biggest impact on that goal. And then shoot them an email and set up a time to talk, whether it's in person, on the zoom call, whatever you want to do. And then just stick with those three for about two weeks so that it gives you time for the back and forth and the genuine connection and collaboration and communication. And then look at the list again, who are the next three that are going to move the needle forward for you this quarter? And maybe pick one, that's a longer-term goal if you want. But personally, I'm a quarterly goal plan person. And so I like to look at it from the scope of who's going to help me move the needle this quarter? But again, not just about myself, but where can I maybe help them too? But yet it ties back into my goal for the quarter. And then once you've got the system down, go ahead and just pick somebody because you like them because that makes it fun. You don't want networking to be a chore, so every once in a while, just pick one of the people that you've just missed talking to and make them one of your three. But I find by giving myself two weeks to connect and collaborate with three people at a time, takes the overwhelm and the pressure off the concept of networking.
Nikki Rogers: I love that. And I think one other thing that you mentioned in that episode was to block-off specific times which you would either do those emails or those phone calls. So again, you're putting it in your schedule. And so it doesn't seem nebulous or just another thing to do, but actually giving it some time. I think that was also a key.
Cori Henderson: Yes, when it pops up in your calendar, just do it. And then again, it takes that overwhelm or pressure away because it's just the next thing on your calendar instead of an appointment with somebody, it's an appointment with yourself to make an appointment with somebody.
Nikki Rogers: Right. Exactly. So during your time as a legislative aid, what were the types of things that small business owners would come to elected officials in order to discuss or influence?
Cori Henderson: It was very varied. So I'm in the State of Florida and it's a right-to-work state, and so workers comp and unemployment compensation and things like that were concerning for small businesses because that's where they felt it in their bottom line. And so those were some hot topics back then. But really, it was mostly related back to state agencies and business licensure, or they permitting related to expanding a business and it's stuck somewhere. And even though I worked at the state level, I like helping. Again, the staff wants to help you. And so I would help them navigate where to go back to the city and provide some ideas on what questions to ask to try to help unstuck where they might be stuck in a permitting process. And so, it really was small businesses as it buried, but I worked in the legislature before entrepreneurs had really taken over. And so a lot of the issues we worked on tended to be more storefront type, small business issues versus service industry issues, except where it came to the service industry.
Companies that were growing, and how do we make sure we have the right health care for our companies are dealing with worker's comp or unemployment compensation. But that was important for my boss to know too that these were things that small business owners are paying attention to. It was important for my boss to know that when he's sitting in a committee at banking and insurance, to think how the implications of the policy for these big insurance companies were going to impact the small business insurance agent. The person that those of us on this podcast get our insurance from, you know, how is what the big company want impacting the local insurance agent? And so those are some of the types of issues that we address.
Nikki Rogers: Got it. Great. On your podcast, you tell this great story about how developing relationships is like popping popcorn. And so, can you share that story with the listeners? I thought it was great and it was a perfect explanation of why we, as business owners, should be invested in this idea of developing relationships with government officials?
Cori Henderson: Yes, and I wish I could take credit for the popping popcorn idea. I heard it on another podcast related to marketing, but instead of applying it towards client growth in my mind, it immediately transitioned to relationship building because that's my thing, my favorite thing. I love people. I love networking. It's not awful, guys. It's awesome. So popping popcorn. So when you want to pop the popcorn, you have to heat the oil. And if you don't heat the oil, the popcorn can't pop. And so networking is heating the oil or pouring in the oil. The oil is your goal of what you want to achieve at that meeting. And then you have to warm it. You have to make the introduction. You have to say hello. You have to find the connection between you and that person before you pour in the popcorn and make the ask. Because if you make the ask before you've warmed the oil, the popcorn can't pop. The ask is the actual popcorn kernel, it's not going to pop if you didn't warm the oil first and build that relationship. And so I just love that visualization of so many people getting frustrated because they call up their local elected official and they want XYZ, or they come to a school board meeting and they want XYZ. But they didn't take the time to do the research, which is part of warming the oil. They didn't ask any questions. They didn't gain an understanding of the situation and how the solution that they're asking for could actually be accomplished, which is all part of warming that oil. They just showed up and wanted that popcorn to pop and everything to be solved. Again, whether it's working with the government and trying to get to that solution, you've got to do your research and warm the oil, or you're trying to build a relationship with somebody to gain a new client, gain a government contract or gain the assistance of that government policymaker. You've got to do that research, get to know them, and build that relationship before you make the ask and expect it to pop.
Nikki Rogers: Another part of that story is you talk about working with clients who never pour the popcorn in. So they spend all the time warming and warming the oil, so to speak, and never pour the popcorn in. So can you talk to our listeners about that scenario?
Cori Henderson: Sure. I do a lot of work with government grants. I administer a grant program as part of my profession, and I was talking to another colleague who actually writes grants and she was hired by an organization because they didn't feel that their chances of winning this very competitive government grant were going very well. And so they hired her to come in and help them with their grant application and building the relationships, and all of that stuff. And so she gets in there and she's working on it, and low and behold, she found out they never actually applied for the grant. And so the issue wasn't that they needed help writing the grant. They actually didn't apply for the grant. So the reason every time they had a conversation with a government entity who was administering, was going to award these grants, that it didn't feel warm and fuzzy was because there was no application. They never poured in the popcorn. So you can't have the grants from the government if you don't actually apply and pour in the popcorn. This goes with appointments too. This is something actually, us, service providers and if they're service providers listening, which I'm guessing there's a lot of you, you might want to look at some boards and commissions at your local government level. And that's another really great place to start. I just have to remind you, to get appointed to one of these boards and commissions, you have to apply. So you have to take the time to pour in the popcorn, which is applying for it before you can actually be on the commissions. And a lot of people get mixed up in that step as well, it's very common for them to have a meeting and somebody say, oh, you'd be great on this. We have an open seat. We're going to be filling it soon. And they wait and wait to be put into that seat on this commission, but they never actually apply. Government, at its core, cannot provide anything without an application. They have to have a paper process. That's just how the government is. So pour in the popcorn.
Nikki Rogers: I love that story. And that was just a really great reminder for me is to do the application, make the request. All anyone can say, the worst they can say is no, but oftentimes you might get a yes. And so I think that story was just a great reminder. While you're doing all that relationship building, you actually have to make an ask, make a request, submit that application, otherwise, you're not going to be in the running.
Cori Henderson: Correct. Yes. She called me, she's like, I don't know who else to tell about this, but you work in grants. She's like, I have to tell you, they didn't actually apply for the grant, which is why they weren't on the list to get it.
Nikki Rogers: That's funny. And think that just underscores the point that people think it's a nebulous black hole sometimes, and it's not. You have to use the access point that is available to you, and then you probably learn more and more about how to go about doing these things in the future. But you have to take that first step and go through the door and not wait to be invited, so to speak.
Cori Henderson: Yes, don't wait to be invited, just show up. Pick up the phone, make the call, show up. Go online, fill out the application, hit submit. I would recommend before you hit submit on the application, you call the government entity and have the conversation. But even if it's not there necessarily the right fit, hit submit and then call them back and ask them in the future based on what you've told them now, what might be a good fit.
Nikki Rogers: Great advice. I even think back to some of the government contracts or proposal opportunities that I've been involved with. When that RFP comes out, just send a note back to the POC and say, hey, I'm interested. I plan on bidding. And then it's amazing how they'll follow up with you and say, hey, the deadline's coming up soon. Just want to make sure you had indicated you wanted to bid or be on this pre-proposal conference. Your name gets out there. So it is this way of warming the oil, so to speak. And I think going back to your point of needing to warm the oil before you just pour in the popcorn, there are various ways for you to develop name recognition before you do submit a proposal or a grant request, or a policy recommendation. So, again, just a great reminder that we are all human and we mean to develop these relationships in order to move forward.
Cori Henderson: Another quick, fun way, okay, I find it fun. Y'all might disagree. But another great way to actually meet the people in the government agencies is when there's a public meeting. That's about something non-controversial. I'm not saying go when it's controversial. But when there's a non-controversial public meeting being hosted by a government agency or department that you want to do business with or impact your business, go to the public meeting because there won't likely be a lot of people if it's not controversial and meet them in person. Meet their staff, make that personal one-on-one connection now that we don't have to do everything on zoom. And they're going to remember you because there won't be a lot of people there. When it's controversial, the room is crowded. They're not going to remember where you are for them or you're against them, they're not going to remember.
But when it's not controversial, they're stuck standing there too. So they're interested in having somebody to talk to.
Nikki Rogers: Great advice. I think your point is well taken where it's easier to rally around an issue, a controversial issue if you have a strong opinion, one way or the other. But during those quiet times are the times when you can actually develop relationships that will help you out when you have a strong opinion about something.
Cori Henderson: Then they already know you and they're willing to listen a little bit harder and it's not, oh, they're not listening because they're the government. It's the same. They're human and you're human. Imagine when your kid is having a temper tantrum, you don't remember what it was about, you're just aggravated they're having a temper tantrum. But when your kid is just saying, hey, can I please stay up this 30 minutes longer because XYZ without a temper tantrum, you're more likely to listen and give it consideration.
Nikki Rogers: Definitely. Everything comes back to raising kids or raising yourself. All these life lessons are very...
Cori Henderson: So true. Business and parenthood really merge.
Nikki Rogers: Exactly, exactly. And I don't know which is more challenging. It depends. I think children can talk back so maybe...
Cori Henderson: Maybe you're right, business people are more polite than children.
Nikki Rogers: But children are very honest. So there's the trade-off, polite and reserved, or honest and unfiltered. So, as you think back to your time in legislative affairs, government relations, and economic development, what would you say were some of the most challenging times that you may have faced or challenging situations in managing relationships between constituents and the government?
Cori Henderson: So, again, don't tune out, everybody. I worked for a water management district, which is a regional organization in Florida that manages the freshwater, the drinking water overseas, all of that, stormwater in the state. Then the localities come in behind the regional organization and I worked for the regional organization, and we were in a significant drought in our area. It had been going on, we were on two or three years and the drought was so significant that we had to ban, the regional organization had to ban washing your own car with your hose in this eight-county region because the drought was so bad. Coming behind that, we had the worst freeze in a hundred years in our community. And we have agriculture, a significant swath of agriculture, and one of the biggest commodities is strawberries where I am. And to protect the strawberries during the freeze, they pumped a significant amount of groundwater, again, hang in there with me. I'm getting to the point, I promise. Okay, they pumped a significant amount of groundwater that coats the berries, and it keeps the berries dry under the ice shield. And so we were in this horrible drought combined with this horrible freeze where the farmers kept pumping groundwater to protect the strawberries, and protect their crop, which is their small business. That's their livelihood. And they had all the appropriate permits to pump the amount of water they pumped. So they weren't impacting the environment by what their permit said. But unfortunately, it collided with the drought. And sinkholes started developing in all the communities around the strawberry fields. And it was a very scary time. A lot of that community was still on well water is still on well water. And so their personal wells were going dry at their homes, and there were sinkholes opening up. And so here you had the farmers who were pumping within their permanent capacity trying to protect their crops which that's how they feed their families, is by selling their strawberries. And you have these homeowners who now have no water and have sinkholes everywhere. And my job was community/ government relations, and so I had to host the public meetings to bring in the experts and bring the community together, bringing the growers and to try to find a resolution on how they could all work together. And so I would definitely say, at the end of the day, that was the most challenging because you, again, had legal permitting, pumping of water going on by the strawberry growers. Got homeowners with dry wells and sinkholes, and you would just have a scary situation for what would happen in the future. So that was my most challenging.
Nikki Rogers: Wow, how did that get resolved?
Cori Henderson: It wasn't pretty. The Florida Fish and Wildlife actually came armed to the meetings. It was that heated of conversations that we invited our counterpart agency to attend the meetings with us to help calm some of the anger. In the end, the water management district engineers and scientists went back and re-evaluated the groundwater and the aquifer. So Florida is an aquifer. We pumped fresh water from the ground. We drink fresh water from the ground, from the aquifer in Florida. It's very common here. And they went back and re-evaluated what to do and how to permit water availability for the growers in drought times. And so they had to have a lot of public rulemakings because the growers had a right to use the water as well. And so they had to have a lot of public rulemakings and figure out what to do when it wasn't normal times. Because this drought was like a hundred-year drought. The freeze was a hundred-year freeze, and so they had to, again, it's balancing an unusual time and not over-correcting so that it impacts regular time. And so we had to walk that really fine line. And in the end, it seems to be holding, but we haven't had another one of those hundred-year events.
Nikki Rogers: Wow. That's a great lesson for even what we're going through now with the pandemic. There are a lot of things, a lot of policies that came out of the pandemic. And you're right, we have to be careful that those don't carry over into whatever becomes our new normal. So just thinking about being able to flex when needed. And now, we know it will be needed. But also understanding when things go back to relatively normal, then we can go back to previous policies.
Cori Henderson: Yes. The government gets a lot of criticism for overreacting or under-reacting. And personally, I recommend they under-react, which I know might not be a popular opinion, but usually, the reaction is caused by an incident in time that isn't going to always be there. Now, obviously, there are some issues in our country that are always happening that need to be over-corrected. But generally, what governments deal with are blips when things go really wrong versus the normal. And so, it's a balancing act and it takes a lot of courage for elected officials to find that line and not allow the overcorrecting or the under correcting probably because of politics. And that's one cool thing about government agencies and departments, is there a little bit more insulated from the politics? So we were able to walk that balance using science and engineering versus political. Does agriculture belong in our community anymore? We were able to stay away from that because we were able to use science and engineering because it was a policy conversation, not a political conversation.
Nikki Rogers: Great, love that, love that. Just a little geek-out moment. I used to work for a paper manufacturer and they made boxes for strawberries. And so it was this whole thing about the quality of the box, because once the strawberries were picked, " they put them to sleep" by a freezing method. And the boxes that were used had to be able to withstand that freezing and thawing in order to make it to eventually the grocery store at some point. So when you said strawberries, it's like, oh. And now, I know. This frost cover actually protects the strawberries. The more you know, the more you know.
Cori Henderson: Who knew that there was so much science in the food that you buy at the grocery store?
Nikki Rogers: Exactly. And bananas, that's a whole other thing. The supply chain, the food supply chain is fascinating. And we could probably do a whole podcast on that.
Cori Henderson: Thank you, a local farmer. Please thank them because they go through a lot more science than anyone realizes.
Nikki Rogers: Yes, definitely. So on the flip side, what has been one of your most rewarding experiences throughout your career?
Cori Henderson: Oh, this is an easy one too. So I worked with a state representative who was a retired Air Force Colonel, and he flew planes. He flew some missions that are historic. And he was a newly elected official and it was Governor Jeb Bush, at the time was the governor, the president's brother. And he happened to be coming to our community to present a government grant, a check appropriation. And my boss is like, if he's coming all the way here for this million-dollar check presentation, it's worth my time to go get to know him. I'm a new representative. So my representative boss was building relationships with the governor. And it turned out that the organization was for teenagers who aged out of foster care. And he sat in that room and he listened to this 17-year-old woman, a tall young lady talks about her experience as a teenager in foster care. And then she had just aged, well, she wouldn't age out until 18, but she was a senior in high school and talking about what was next for her. And he got in the car and he called me and he said, we have to do something to help them. And we spent the next number of years taking on issues to help teenagers in foster care and teenagers who aged out of foster care, and rewriting the laws in the State of Florida so that they were not disadvantaged. And so, I'll never forget, we bought them pizza. We went to our local group, and we bought them pizza and we had about 25 teenage foster kids in the room. And he said if you were king for the day, what would you buy that would change your life? So what do you think they're going to say? A cell phone, a laptop. They asked for lockers with locks so that they could have their last possessions not stolen. And they asked for their own underwear. Teenagers asked for their own underwear because they lived in group homes where all their clothes were laundered together and they never knew what they were going to wear the next day. And so, at that point, he and I looked at each other and we had found his passion project. Again, this man was an Air Force Colonel who flew some historical missions if I told you about them. That became our passion project for the rest of his elected terms.
Nikki Rogers: Wow, and what was some of the legislation or policy you were able to get through in order to support these children who were in foster care?
Cori Henderson: A lot of it related to behind-the-scenes funding formulas. We also were able to get them on the list for tuition waivers that the State Colleges and Universities that had been saved for athletes. We tinkered with that to open it up to some of them. We pushed forward legislation. It passed after we left to allow them to have driver's licenses. That's the other thing they asked for. They didn't even care about driving a car. They just wanted to turn 16 and have a driver's license. But because of insurance, considerations, that had been a problem. And so he termed out before that passed, but that's something that's now available to teenagers in foster care in Florida are driver's license. Their medical records, this was pre the electronic world we live in, and back then, it was really hard to transfer medical records electronically. And so we did a lot of behind-the-scenes work on how to push that forward for them. Their shot records couldn't transfer with them to a new home. We did a lot of small things that ended up having a big impact on the individual teenager.
Nikki Rogers: Got it. That is great. I think that's really an example of seeing what is happening with a group of constituents and actually making their lives better. So I think that's when government works best. So Cori, how can people find you if they want to learn more about you or about why government relations is key to entrepreneurial success?
Cori Henderson: Yes, first and foremost, please take the time to at least pick one elected official in your community and set up an appointment to just introduce yourself and your business to them. That's all your goal should be, is to introduce yourself and your business to one elected official in your community, and then see where that takes you from there. But you can find me at the Policy Influencer Playbook Podcast. And if you want to stay connected, I'm on LinkedIn. Cori Henderson on LinkedIn and I would love to connect with you there.
Nikki Rogers: Great, Cori. Now, before you leave, there are two questions I always ask every guest. So, one, what are one or two songs that are on your power playlist and why?
Cori Henderson: So we've already discussed children. My daughter's obsessed with Moana, and so the Moana soundtrack is on all the time, which is actually pretty good when you're working. It's actually pretty motivating. The other is, I just ask Alexa to play me new music and I listened to whatever she played because I have to let go of something, and choosing my background music is just, I just let her choose it for me. I automated my background music.
Nikki Rogers: I love it. I love it. What is one book that you would recommend that would help folks in developing better relationships?
Cori Henderson: Oh, that's a good question. I haven't really found a book for that, but I have to say that the combination of The 12 Week Year because I love quarterly goal planning after reading that. I hated goals. I thought goals were crap and they were just copying and pasting. I didn't understand until I read that book. But that combined with Atomic Habits, which I didn't want to like, but I had fallen in love with. Atomic Habits, it's about creating that consistency and about creating a habit such as every two weeks pick three people to talk to. I think Atomic Habits, really, when you're looking at relationship building, you can find some key takeaways in there about how to find consistency to create the habit of building relationships.
Nikki Rogers: Great. I love both of those. I have listened to Atomic Habits several times and I have it, I have the hard copy for note-taking. But I will definitely check out The 12 Week Year, which sounds like a great book. And Cori, it has been a pleasure talking with you today. I'm so excited to continue listening to the podcast and gathering some gems. But I definitely am going to take your advice and find a government official to reach out too, and start to develop those relationships.
Cori Henderson: Well, thank you, Nikki. And I can't wait to hear about how it goes.
Nikki Rogers: Great. All right. Take care.
Nikki Rogers: Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Women Thriving in Business Podcast. If you like this episode, share it with a friend. You can also share your feedback, your insights, your thoughts with us on social media via Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. We'd love to hear from you. Be sure to like, review, and subscribe either on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify so you never miss an episode. Until next week. Keep thriving.