Orientation for new Members of Congress takes place every November the week following the elections. As the former Staff Director for the House Administration committee, I had the privilege of leading those efforts in 2020.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that Congress conducts an orientation process where Members learn policy and process. They do spend time on those topics. Mostly, however, orientation focuses on the logistics of the job, leadership, elections, and building social networks among their freshman class and respective parties.
Members should arrive in Washington with a construct of how they want to lead. Those newly elected officials who don’t tend to fail to capture the fundamentals of the job and quickly burn out from putting out fires and running from meet-and-greets to receptions.
The Congressional Management Foundation provides a head start on this critical thinking process by publishing a management guide called Setting Course, which has guided new Members and their staffs for more than four decades.
Below are ten questions that can help guide Members in their personal orientation to Congress.
This comes directly from Setting Course’s discussion of defining a Member’s role in Congress. A few examples of “types” of roles members take is the Legislative Insider who focuses on the committee process and passing legislation, the Party Insider who is a spokesperson for the party and focuses on fundraising, or the Statesman who focuses on the needs of the entire country. Members who never intentionally define their role often find themselves pulled in too many directions.
Campaigns make hundreds of promises. Offices can only execute a handful exceptionally well. Your district, party agenda, and lived experiences can help you craft an agenda and articulate it to your incoming staff.
This is the most important early managerial decision you will make. Everything flows from that relationship. Two common mistakes incoming legislators make are failing to have a hiring process and not setting clear expectations for a chief. Unfortunately, I also have seen freshman Chiefs of Staff from the campaign play the role of a “body person” following the Member around all day instead of managing the staff and strategically planning how to best use the Member’s time.
Culture is established before the first constituent letter is answered. It is built through hiring, expectations, communication, and leadership.
Members often think about priorities, but few think about boundaries. You can’t attend every event, take every meeting, or sponsor every bill. Knowing what to decline is a central component of thoughtful leadership.
Legislation, constituent service, committee work, party leadership? Choose before others choose for you.
Hierarchy? Consensus? Member-driven? Chief-driven? Whomever the Member calls first? You should intentionally develop a decision-making model.
In the fast-paced environment of Capitol Hill, every team has moments when disagreements and conflicts arise in the course of pursuing the goals of the Member and office. These conflicts can weaken or strengthen the team and its impact – this is a key leadership choice. Every office needs to determine how they will address issues in a professional, supportive, and growth-centered manner that minimizes interpersonal conflict.
Every Member needs to empower at least one staff member to disagree with him or her. Congress is missing a feedback loop and Members will lose self-awareness if staff are not provided space to say, “No,” and suggest course corrections.
Begin with the end in mind: How do you want to be remembered and what impact do you want to make on your district and this country?
Every election brings new ideas, new energy, and new representatives of the American people. But every election also brings the same management challenge: transforming a campaign into a functioning congressional office capable of serving hundreds of thousands of constituents.
Orientation will teach Members how to navigate the institution. The questions above will help them lead within it.
The most successful Members understand that governing begins long before the first vote. It begins with intentional decisions about leadership, culture, and purpose.
Jen Daulby is the Chief Executive Office of the Congressional Management Foundation. She is a skilled government affairs and communications strategist with two decades of leadership experience in Washington. She has held every position on Capitol Hill from intern to staff director including working for four Members of Congress and covering subject matter for five committees.
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