FIVE STRATEGIES TO BUILD A POWER PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN AGENCY AND CLIENT FOCAL POINTS

This article is a result of two former focal points sharing food-for-thought with one another as we deliberated on our short-term yet robust working relationship. Reflecting upon the practices that made our partnership a power interplay during the time we worked together, we decided to author an inexhaustive list of a few different routes that two focal points – client and agency – can effectively practice in the workplace to leverage maximum synergy for optimal results. 

1.       INTERCHANGE ROLES

 From the get-go, there was a clear realization that neither one of us was comfortable with a singular identification of our roles. Neither of us ever thought of ourselves as the “client” or “agency” respectively and weren’t fond of the terminology. To be fair, the terms were contractually accurate. They just weren’t exactly relevant though in terms of how our day-to-day operational realities shaped our actions in the workplace.

 Maybe a credit to how well the Communications Department had synergistically defined its departmental goals, but when it came to achieving short- and long-term communications objectives, we both had our sleeves rolled up and were just as busy as the other in ticking our respective yet complementary to-do boxes and adding as much extra value as we could along the way. It had nothing to do with which logo we ultimately bore on our business cards; our endeavours were entirely results-oriented and in complete alignment with the big-picture outreach goals of the department.

 A good day at the office meant we got our work done successfully. While we used different coloured pens to mark them, at the end of the day, the agency and client checkboxes weren’t distinct in targets.

 2.       ACCESSIBLE ALWAYS

 We were part of a demanding high-stakes work environment, servicing multiple internal and external stakeholders simultaneously. Our communications department proactively and reactively responded to the outreach requirements of a decade-young university. This required continuous around-the-clock dedication to continue fostering nationwide and regionwide attention for a homegrown emerging research institution that offered innovative graduate programs focusing on MENA-specific challenges. As such, at any given time, there was a combination of five to ten minor and major projects that we were working on involving reputed local and global academia, members of the business and diplomatic communities, as well as senior officials of the government.

 To succeed, we needed to keep our flow of communications open at all times. We really mean at all times. Response timings of under 10 minutes during office hours on weekdays went without saying. It didn’t have to be anything elaborate – normally, a simple “well noted – I’ll take it from here” sufficed. But responsiveness also meant that we had to stay tuned in during off-work hours, including weekends. This allowed the other to know one of us had caught the ball and would commit to the next logical course of action in due course of time.

 Most importantly, however, the high-stress around-the-clock work routine meant that we understood that one of us could be peak-performing at a different time of the day than our partner. By allowing for total accessibility between one another at any time of a 24-hour clock, we reciprocally extended a professional courtesy that went on to solidify our power interplay. Moreover, it built a sense of mutual reliability and trust that served us well.

3.       DON’T OVERESTIMATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR PARTNER’S SPECIALIZATION

You can be the master of many trades, but you’ll have to understand that you’re the jack of others.

Take as an example knowing the client’s internal stakeholder dynamics. It was imperative to understand that the client focal point tended to have a better understanding of her domestic organizational concerns and aspirations. Working collaboratively to navigate them was the agency’s best bet to fostering positive outcomes. Jumping over heads? The least advisable route. 

On the other hand, the public relations agency understood the intricacies of the communications landscape like no other. Otherwise, the client wouldn’t have hired them. Giving them room to propose ideas on both the upper and lower ends of the creativity continuum was in the client’s own best interest with respect to meeting organizational communications goals. Diminishing agency creativity? A scorch-earth policy. Of course, the onus of demonstrating positive results then lay squarely on the shoulders of the agency focal point. No excuses.

4.          TOTAL TRANSPARENCY

This really comes down to how much you want the relationship to work. When we started off our time as client and agency focal point, we naturally had a brief period where we had to really endeavor hard to get used to each other. Neither of us wanted to come across as sticks in the mud – neither to each other nor to, more importantly, our respective managements.

After a few minor, low-stakes breakdowns in communication, we instituted monthly meetings. Just us. Nobody else. The contents of our discussion, upon our honors, to stay completely private in a mutually respectful and empathetic manner. We talked openly about things that worked. We talked transparently about things that didn’t. There was no political point-scoring. It was two adults trying to chart a way in which to work productively together without getting more adults involved.

The positive results of the meetings transcended immediate feel-good after-effects of the sessions. We felt more comfortable being straightforward with one another about timelines, project statuses, and discussing PR-related challenges during the rest of the month. We were better aligned in terms of drive at work. We had a greater appreciation of each other’s capability, intellect, and dedication. We, also, reconciled with each other’s quirks of personality.

More than anything else, we think it was these sessions that really cemented our professional relationship, which today, notably, survives as a personal friendship. In a nut shell, neither one of us had any intention to throw the other under the bus. And that made a world of difference.

5.           CREDIT-SHARING

Successes are hard to come by, and big successes in the high-pressure, high-stakes, multi-stakeholder environment in which we operated were harder still. What made the chase worthwhile was being recognized for our efforts along the way. We each knew that the efforts we pour into work will never be overlooked and our credit would never be misappropriated. Neither of us ever hesitated in openly extending praise to one another in front of our teams, especially in the presence of our managements.

If we were effective in our crafts, it was in no small part due to the great partners we had in each other and the respect we enjoyed for one another’s sharp professional skills, good dynamics, and honesty. Today, we continue to persevere towards scaling greater heights of communications and outreach successes for our respective organizations. And while neither of us like to rest on our past laurels, we both are proud of the successes we achieved during our client-agency focal point partnership together.

This article was authored by Ysa Chandna and contributed to by Ghaydaa Fahim. Together, they served as agency and client focal points, respectively, between 2017 and 2018.

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