Find the change agent's moment, not yours.
technique — attributed to Sarah Brown
Brown's tactical discipline for moving a decision-maker is to find their moment, not yours. The activist's urgency does not produce the policymaker's decision. The decision happens when the policymaker has the budget, the political space, the information, and the cover to act. The advocate's job is to identify that moment and prepare for it. Put the pieces together so the decision is easy. Mobilize as many voices as possible to converge on that moment. The technique inverts the usual advocacy posture, which centers the advocate's timeline rather than the decision-maker's window. Campaigns that find the right moment move policies. Campaigns that ignore timing produce announcements without outcomes.
For advocacy leaders, government affairs professionals, and policy entrepreneurs working to move specific decision-makers. The technique is most useful when the advocate has direct knowledge of the decision-maker's calendar and constraints.
timing, decision-maker, moment-finding, advocacy-strategy