In sports, coaches spend considerable time studying the other team’s defensive alignments before settling on their own offensive strategy. They want to pinpoint their opponent’s defensive strengths and weaknesses to help them select an attack that maximizes their scoring opportunities.

In some circles this is known as “taking what the defense gives you,” and it is a key piece of strategy that can well determine the contest’s outcome.

The same principle applies equally well in the public policy arena. A proactive issues-management strategy that carefully analyzes how the opposition is lining up is critical.

Preparation removes excuses
But reading the defense is not a one-time exercise, because alignments change. The great sins corporate (and agency) issues management commits are these: We do not read the defense well; we do not spend enough effort watching for new alignments; we do not take the time to “think the unthinkable”; we do not enthusiastically exercise our legal right to gain on-the-ground intelligence.

Then we are surprised when an embedded journalist or activist videotapes our operations; a new activist alliance with a mainstream organization is announced; a cause-activated shareholder resolution is introduced; a prominent national figure unexpectedly criticizes us or our industry with incendiary sound bites; a consumer boycott is launched; negative e-mails arrive by the thousands, generated by a Web site that mocks our corporate name; and so on.

Activist training seminars are held frequently; do we send someone? Activist Web sites are, well, always active. Do we know what they are, and is the agency or another close resource monitoring them once or twice per day? Are we reading blogs? Are we technologically astute, or are we still fighting the battle as if it were a media relations game only?

A client in the food industry had been taken to task by an activist organization for its corporate policies and practices. We began monitoring the organization’s Web site on a daily basis and confirmed our belief that the group planned to stage a protest at our client’s major media event. With the lead time, we arranged for security and developed key messages for participants that challenged—and blunted—activist charges. Media coverage of the protest was nonexistent.

See the whole picture
Most assaults today have been well-orchestrated by the time they hit the media, which is why they are effective and often make headlines worldwide. We could have seen the orchestration, if only we had been paying closer attention.

When we don’t pay attention, we are surprised. When we are surprised, we inevitably are put on the defensive again—and get to watch the other guys run with the ball.

You and we see this sad tale played out daily in our newspapers. Corporations are in all manner of readiness stages—from our view, readiness and corporate size are not related—but as Corporate America, we are in a poor position, indeed. We are vulnerable, and needlessly so.

Corporations and the agencies that partner with them have a right, as has anyone, to gather intelligence within the scope of the law and ethics in order to protect against unfair accusations and, often, illegal trespass, violence and slander.

We simply do not do enough brainstorming of what we don’t know, how to get it and what to do before, during and after the unthinkable occurs.