Rob Sand on Communication & Transparency in Government - Chief Influencer - Episode # 003
This Chief Influencer is an elected official and a former prosecutor. Rob Sand is the State Auditor of Iowa and the author of The Winning Ticket. Rob is the only elected Democrat in state or federal office in Iowa. He shares his insights on communicating effectively in the twenty-first century, being accessible to his constituents, and amplifying great ideas from both sides of the aisle.
Takeaways:
- As an elected official, Rob needs to influence the everyday people that comprise his constituency in order to begin making any impact. This is becoming more difficult with the growing partisanship of voters and the erosion of long-standing political coalitions.
- Rob provides people with an open look into how the state government works. He tries to educate people on what he does as the state auditor and what is going on in the government in general.
- Rob connects with the people of Iowa in two key ways. First, Rob travels to all 100 county seats in the state to talk with people in person. Second, Rob is very active on social media and actually manages the accounts himself.
- Every Tuesday evening, Rob goes live on Facebook for “Transparency Tuesdays” to tell people the highlights of what he worked on in the prior week and what is going on in the government. He leaves time to address comments and questions at the end.
- Many public-facing leaders avoid going live with their constituents as they are afraid of making a mistake and tarnishing their image. When Rob live-streams, he focuses on being himself, something that people really connect with.
- Many elected officials seem very distant from constituents and by utilizing social media Rob is able to overcome traditional barriers and invite people in to look at what really happens. It creates an opening for dialog and community between Rob and Iowans.
- When Rob comes across a great idea or innovative practice that each county could implement, he compiles those ideas and shares them with officials from every county each year. It doesn’t matter who came up with an idea, if it works, Rob will share it.
Quote of the Show:
- “It's important for people to have a sense of the ability to reach their government, to reach levers of whatever degree of power and to actually have an interaction there” - Rob Sand
Links:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobSandIA
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robsandia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robsandia/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robsand1/
- Website: https://robsand.com/
- The Winning Ticket: https://a.co/d/c9xQN6w
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DjyDgAnBZ1Pgy4Lyojgs1
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-influencer/id1688769403
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/27c24d98-1121-465a-bd8f-d7314a9a4482
- Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-influencer-podcast-5328948
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefinfluencer
Creators and Guests
Host
Anthony Shop
Anthony Shop believes in the power of people-centered branding and marketing to create a bright future. He chairs the National Digital Roundtable, the premier convener of digital innovators, leaders and policy shapers. Anthony also is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Social Driver, a digital services firm that helps companies and non-profits establish winning strategies with social media, websites, creative, and advertising. An enthusiastic presenter and teacher, he has led executive-level training for Amazon, PepsiCo, NASA, The British Embassy and the Bipartisan Policy Center. He has been recognized as an “OUTstanding LGBT Role Model” by The Financial Times, “40 Under 40” by The Washington Business Journal, and Business Leader of the Year by the DC Chamber of Commerce. A former newspaper reporter, Anthony was the first new media professional elected to the National Press Club’s Board of Governors. He currently serves on the boards of Leadership Greater Washington and LearnServe International. He earned his MBA from The George Washington University School of Business, where he teaches as an adjunct lecturer.
Producer
Robert Krueger
Robert is an Executive Director for The Communications Board, an organization with the mission of providing high-quality professional development for every communicator in every location. He is also the Global Lead for Partnership Communications at Gensler, the world’s largest architecture and design firm. Prior to his current role, he performed executive and CEO communications for Gensler, and was the senior director of public relations and social media at the Urban Land Institute. He obtained an MA in Communications and an MA in History from George Mason University. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In addition, Robert has taught communications at universities including George Mason University, West Virginia University, and the University of Florida. Robert currently serves as Immediate-Past President for the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter (PRSA-NCC) -- the nonprofit’s largest chapter.
