Building Alliances April 30 th, 2009 Tim Bolding, United Housing Inc.

Agenda What does ally usually mean? What should it mean? Why develop alliances? Who should be allies? What’s the difference between allies and confidants? What prevents development of allies? Process of building a relationship Exercise Next steps?

Predatory Lending Bill Story 6 years in the making 40 groups

What Does Ally Usually Mean? a) Let’s work together as long as you do it my way b) Let’s meet and talk and never take action c) Let’s all feel good and never tackle tough issues d) What else?

What Should It Mean? a) Reliable partners b) Joint action on a common agenda c) Opportunity to experiment with new ideas and approaches

Why Develop Alliances? 1) Increase capacity 2) Gain specific skills and knowledge 3) Gain political clout beyond your immediate network 4) Decrease vulnerability

Who Should be Your Allies? a) Like-minded individuals b) Related industry c) Competitors d) ENEMIES / OPPOSITION e) Partners who are members of the “faction” for whom change will be the most difficult f) Real partners who share the same goal (What is the goal?)

Allies vs. Confidants Allies Vested interest Some shared interest Share a little For a while Safe on some things Confidants NO interest Only interested in you Share a lot For a long time Safe on all things

What Prevents Development of Allies? 1) Fear of the “other” 2) History 3) Giving up autonomy 4) Lack of trust 5) Fear of change 6) Fear of loss

Process of Relationship Building Attention Interest Exploration Exchange Commitment

Who are your Allies? Current Core Casual Out of “your” Loop In your camp Related Competition Opposition Those who don’t want to change Others with different constituents Categories

What to do next 1) Build relationships 2) Think politically 3) Keep the opposition close 4) Learn how to learn 5) Be willing to accept mistakes while learning 6) Push leadership down 7) Replace self-centeredness and institutional ego with real partnerships

Your Role as a Leader 1) Tell the new story 2) Model the changes 3) Control the pace 4) Reward progress 5) Remember – I might be part of the problem