Client Spotlight: N. Chloé Nwangwu, a former international conflict mediator and the founder of NobiWorks, partners with underrecognized brands and uses science to ensure they are impossible to ignore. A graduate of Pathway to Publication, she published "Why We Should Stop Saying 'Underrepresented'" in Harvard Business Review.

Good morning, ,

Earlier this week, I had a conversation with a consultant who was told that she was sharing her political views too freely and that doing so was going to destroy her reputation and her business.

She is a DEI consultant.

And in the United States, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are inherently political. In fact, almost everything having to do with how a business operates is influenced by the legal and regulatory landscape.

Moreover, many corporations are actively involved in politics, donating millions of dollars to super PACs to run political ads supporting a particular candidate or issue. So big business and politics are intimately connected.

The question then isn't whether you should mix business with politics, but when and how to do so.

If a political matter is directly related to your area of expertise, your clients are relying on you to advise them. The legal and regulatory landscape changes rapidly, and it's incumbent on you to understand how it impacts your clients. But helping your clients comply with a new regulation or law doesn't mean you have to share your opinion on it.

Most corporations are made up of people from across the political spectrum. So not all of your prospective clients are going to care about all of your political opinions. But some prospective clients will consider your political opinions when deciding whether to work with you. And while some may choose not to work with you as a result, others will choose to work with you for the same reason.

I don't hide my political leanings. You can get a sense of where I stand based on my articles and LinkedIn posts, my AI Usage Policy, which states that I make a donation to the Natural Resources Defense Counsel every time I use generative AI, and the Southern Poverty Law Center calendar that hangs on the wall behind me and is visible during Zoom calls. But I also don't lead with them because they are rarely directly relevant to my work.

I don't mind sharing my political leanings because I want my clients to be comfortable with who I am and how I operate in the world. As a solo professional, I have chosen not to work with prospective service providers because of their political beliefs. And since the core values of my business are consent, transparency, and impact, I want those who are thinking of working with me to be able to make that same evaluation.

There is no one right answer, and I'm still thinking through this topic. I'd love to hear your perspective. If you'd like to share it, reply to this email, and we'll continue the conversation.

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Join the Conversation

As long as the quote is accurate, you can use it. Right?

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations is an anthology of quotes first compiled in 1855 as a commonplace book. (It's now in its nineteenth edition.) But to use these quotes responsibly, it's crucial that you review the words and the context. In this LinkedIn post, I share a few ways politicians use quotes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to advance agendas that go against everything King stood for. Join the conversation.

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Recommended Resource

The Research Journal: Today's Commonplace Book

A commonplace book captures interesting quotes and the person to whom they should be attributed. But to use quotes in your writing, you need a research journal. A research journal is a simple document that captures your sources, quotes, research notes, and insights. Your insights are where you add to the conversation started by the quote. One way to do this is to review the quote and write a statement in response to it that starts with "yes, and," "yes, but," or "no, because." Download the research journal template.

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Upcoming Events

The Authority Lab 

Interested in learning how to build your authority by writing for your blog or a high-visibility publication? Join me on Wednesday, February 11, at 11:55 AM Eastern for a mini-training on how to identify each segment of your audience so you can more effectively reach them, followed by a Q+A. I host this free event every month. Register here.

Master Class: How to Write for High-Visibility Publications

In this free 60-minute master class, I will share the SILVA Method™ and walk you step-by-step through the process I use to help my clients secure bylines in publications like Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and TD Magazine. Join me for a master class on Tuesday, February 24, at 1:30 PM Eastern. Register here.

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If you have any questions or would like to explore working together, drop me an email or book a call. I'd love to learn more about you and your business and how I might be of service.

Take good care,

Ready to Invest in Building Your Authority?

If you're ready to invest in building your authority through writing, there are three ways we might work together:

1. Writing Practice: A community that offers monthly writing, peer editing, and skill-building workshops. Membership is $150 a month. Write on!
2. Pathway to Publication: A high-touch, personalized accelerator for consultants ready to build their authority by writing for high-visibility publications. Tuition is $1,000 a month. Apply today.
3. Authority Development: One-to-one services that help you create and implement an authority development strategy. Learn more.

AI Disclosure Statement: I used LanguageTool, an AI-based grammar checker, to review this newsletter. To learn more about how (and when) I use AI, review my AI Usage Policy.